CO 2 complexation with cyclodextrins.

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions from industrial processes, power generation, and transportation contribute significantly to global warming and climate change. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies are essential to reduce these emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change. Cyclodextrins (CDs), cyclic oligosaccharides, are studied as potential CO 2 capture agents due to their unique molecular structures and high selectivity towards CO 2 . In this paper we have investigated binding efficiency of a number of cyclodextrins towards CO 2 . It is found that the crystal structure of α-cyclodextrin with CO 2 has a 1:1 stoichioimetry and that a number of simple and modified cyclodextrins bind CO 2 in water with a K g of 0.18-1.2 bar -1 (7-35 M -1 ) with per- O -methyl α-cyclodextrin having the highest CO 2 affinity.