Removal of carbon dioxide using zeolitic imidazolate frameworks: Adsorption and conversion via catalysis

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the culprit causes of global climatic changes. Furthermore, the efficient separation of CO2 from other gaseous mixtures using zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF)-based materials is vital for several processes such as flue gas separation, gas sweetening, and natural gas processing. ZIF-based materials are emerging adsorbents and catalysts for CO2 gas removal via adsorption and conversion into valuable chemicals. ZIF-based adsorbents with high-adsorption/conversion efficiencies and tunable properties can be achieved by judicious synthesis and fabrication methods. We reviewed ZIF-based materials for CO2 removal via adsorption and catalysis (e.g., cycloaddition, carboxylation, hydrogenation, N-formylation, electrocatalysis, and photocatalysis). In addition, recent development methods such as membrane technologies and ways to improve the gas separation performance of ZIF membranes were highlighted. The prospective point of view to promote industrial applications and commercialization of ZIF-based materials was briefly discussed. Once challenges such as low performance and reproducibility for ZIF-based materials are solved, scalability and cost-effectiveness should not become issues.