Trends in Research and Development for CO 2 Capture and Sequestration.

Technological and medical advances over the past few decades epitomize human capabilities. However, the increased life expectancies and concomitant land-use changes have significantly contributed to the release of ∼830 gigatons of CO 2 into the atmosphere over the last three decades, an amount comparable to the prior two and a half centuries of CO 2 emissions. The United Nations has adopted a pledge to achieve "net zero", i.e., yearly removing as much CO 2 from the atmosphere as the amount emitted due to human activities, by the year 2050. Attaining this goal will require a concerted effort by scientists, policy makers, and industries all around the globe. The development of novel materials on industrial scales to selectively remove CO 2 from mixtures of gases makes it possible to mitigate CO 2 emissions using a multipronged approach. Broadly, the CO 2 present in the atmosphere can be captured using materials and processes for biological, chemical, and geological technologies that can sequester CO 2 while also reducing our dependence on fossil-fuel reserves. In this review, we used the curated literature available in the CAS Content Collection to present a systematic analysis of the various approaches taken by scientists and industrialists to restore carbon balance in the environment. Our analysis highlights the latest trends alongside the associated challenges.