A critical review of current conversion facilities and research output on carbon dioxide utilization

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has struggled over the past few decades to demonstrate the economic viability of CO2 sequestration. Consequently, this study reviewed the existing integrated carbon capture utilization facilities and the published articles on CO2 conversion to building materials, chemical intermediates, fuels, urea, and polymers. Representative sample sizes were determined, and the analysis of the current CO2 conversion facilities and volume of published articles between 2016 and 2022 were done based on a 90% confidence limit within a 9.93% margin of error and a 95% confidence limit within a 5% margin of error, respectively. The results showed that over 90% of global CO2 conversion facilities produce chemical intermediates, urea, polymers, and building materials, and less than 10% produce fuels. More than half of the global CO2 conversion facilities are in South-East Asia (mainly China), with the remaining in Western Europe (23%), North America (20%), and Oceania (3%). The analysis of the research publications within the time under investigation showed that the research focus is currently on CO2 conversion to chemical intermediates, polymers, building materials, and fuels (over 95%) and less on urea.