Carbon dioxide adsorbents (CO2 adsorbents) can be used in CCUS technology. The industry is still in its infancy.

Carbon dioxide adsorbent, also known as carbon dioxide absorbent and CO2 physical adsorbent, refers to a chemical substance made from lithium hydroxide (LiOH) as the basic raw material, which is bonded, formed and dried through a special process. Carbon dioxide adsorbents have the advantages of good air permeability, large adsorption surface area, and low production cost. They are widely used in many environmental protection fields such as automobile exhaust treatment and industrial waste gas treatment.

The main raw material of carbon dioxide adsorbent is lithium hydroxide (LiOH). Lithium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with a white crystalline powder appearance. It is the main raw material for lithium bromide refrigerator absorbent fluid, lithium-based grease, lithium salt, lithium battery electrolyte and other products. In recent years, benefiting from the growth in market demand for lithium battery electrolyte, my country’s lithium hydroxide production has continued to increase. According to statistics from the Lithium Salt Industry Branch of the China Inorganic Salt Industry Association, my country’s lithium hydroxide production will reach 239,000 tons in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 35.5%. The advantages of raw materials have laid a good foundation for the development of my country’s carbon dioxide adsorbent industry.

According to the “2023-2028 China Carbon Dioxide Adsorbent (CO2 Adsorbent) Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report span>》shows that carbon dioxide adsorbents can be used in carbon dioxide capture, utilization and storage technology (CCUS) and have broad application prospects in the field of environmental protection. CCUS technology is suitable for many scenarios such as chemical plants, thermal power plants, cement plants, etc. It can effectively reduce carbon dioxide emissions and has become one of the hot topics of research in various countries in recent years. CCUS technology can usually be carried out through three methods: membrane separation, chemical absorption and physical absorption. Carbon dioxide adsorbents are mainly used in physical absorption technology. Driven by downstream demand, the carbon dioxide adsorbent industry has accelerated its development.

my country’s carbon dioxide adsorbent industry is still in its infancy, with a small number of manufacturing companies. Tongxing Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Anhui Futan Technology Co., Ltd., Shanxi Bisheng Calcium Oxide Co., Ltd., etc. are the main manufacturers of carbon dioxide adsorbents in my country. Compared with overseas developed countries, my country’s carbon dioxide adsorbent industry started late and its demand is highly dependent on imports. Germany, the United States, and Japan are my country’s main importing countries.

In recent years, with the continuous breakthroughs in CCUS technology, my country’s enthusiasm for the research and development of carbon dioxide adsorbents continues to rise. In April 2022, Qin Changlei’s team from the School of Energy and Power Engineering of Chongqing University successfully prepared a carbon dioxide adsorbent using waste lithium-ion batteries. This product has extremely strong adsorption properties for carbon dioxide.

Industry analysts said that carbon dioxide adsorbents are widely used in the field of environmental protection. As CCUS technology continues to make breakthroughs, its market demand continues to grow. Benefiting from the sufficient supply of raw materials, the development of my country’s carbon dioxide adsorbent industry has accelerated. It is expected that in the future, with in-depth research and technological progress, my country’s carbon dioxide adsorbent industry will gradually develop in the direction of low cost and high performance.