As carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions also skyrocket, the emerging carbon capture and utilization (CCU) industry proposes a solution to both problems: creating biodegradable polymers with lower carbon content by using CO2 emissions as raw material. The recent IDTechEx report, "Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Utilization 2022-2042: Technologies, Market Forecasts, and Players," analyzes the opportunities and challenges of creating this circular carbon economy model.

How to manufacture polymers from CO₂?

There are at least three main pathways for converting CO2_into polymers: electrochemistry, biological conversion, and thermocatalysis. The latter is the most mature cCO2 utilization technology_, in which CO2_can be used directly to produce CO2-based polymers_,primarily biodegradable linear-chain polycarbonates (LPCs), or indirectly, through the production of chemical precursors (building blocks such as methanol, ethanol, acrylate derivatives, or monoethylene glycol [MEG]) for polymerization reactions.

Among the low-carbon polymers (LCPs) manufactured from CO2_are polypropylene carbonate (PPC), polyethylene carbonate (PEC), and polyurethanes (PUR), with PUR being one of the main markets for CO2-based polymers_,with applications in electronics, padding films, foams, and the biomedical and healthcare sectors. CO2_can constitute up to 50% (by weight) of a polyol, one of the main components of PUR. CO2-derived polyols (alcohols with two or more reactive hydroxyl groups per molecule) are manufactured by combining CO2_with cyclic ethers (ring-shaped molecules containing oxygen called epoxides). The polyol is then combined with an isocyanate component to manufacture PUR.

Companies such as Econic, Covestro, and Aramco Performance Materials (with intellectual property acquired from Novomer) have developed new catalysts to facilitate the manufacture of polyols using CO2_.Fossil fuels are still required through this thermochemical process, but manufacturers can replace some of them with waste CO2_, resulting in potential savings in raw material costs.

In the field of emerging technologies, chemical precursors for CO2-based polymers_can be obtained through electrochemistry or microbial synthesis. While the electrochemical conversion of CO2_into chemicals is in an earlier stage of development, biological pathways are more mature, having reached the early commercialization stage. Recent advances in genetic engineering and process optimization have led to the use of chemoautotrophic microorganisms in synthetic biological routes to convert CO2_into chemicals, fuels, and even proteins.

Unlike thermochemical synthesis, these biological routes typically utilize conditions close to ambient temperature and pressure, with the potential to be less energy-intensive and cost-effective at scale. In particular, the California-based company Newlight is introducing a direct biological route to polymers, in which its microbe converts captured CO2_, air, and methane into polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), an enzymatically degradable polymer.

Currently, the scale of CO2-based polymer manufacturing_is still smaller compared to the traditional petrochemical industry, but there are already successful commercial examples. One of the largest available volumes is that of aromatic polycarbonates (PCs) manufactured from CO2_,developed by Asahi Kasei in Taiwan since 2012. More recently, the US company LanzaTech has successfully established partnerships with major brands such as Unilever, L'Oréal, On, Danone, Zara, and Lulumelon to use microbes that convert carbon emissions captured from industrial processes into polymer precursors—ethanol and MEG—for the manufacture of packaging, shoes, and textiles.

The questions remain

While the idea of ​​reusing greenhouse gas waste as a raw material seems like a win-win proposition, many feasibility questions arise for each CO2 utilization pathway _. Will it actually reduce emissions? What are the financial and practical barriers to commercialization? Can it be scaled up to significantly address climate change? These are some of the difficult questions that IDTechEx tackles in its latest report, "Carbon Dioxide (CO2 ₎ Utilization 2022-2042: Technologies, Market Forecasts, and Players," focusing not only on _CO2 use in the polymer and chemical markets, but also on enhanced oil recovery, building materials, fuels, and increased biological yields.

While the idea of ​​reusing greenhouse gas waste as a raw material seems like a win-win proposition, many feasibility questions arise for each CO2 utilization pathway _. Will it actually reduce emissions? What are the financial and practical barriers to commercialization? Can it be scaled up to significantly address climate change? These are some of the difficult questions that IDTechEx tackles in its latest report, "Carbon Dioxide (CO2 ₎ Utilization 2022-2042: Technologies, Market Forecasts, and Players," focusing not only on _CO2 use in the polymer and chemical markets, but also on enhanced oil recovery, building materials, fuels, and increased biological yields.

The final result

Not all uses of CO2_are equally beneficial to climate goals, and not all will be economically scalable. Scarce resources with alternative uses should be allocated where they are most likely to generate economic value and mitigate climate change. As the world's appetite for plastics shows no signs of abating, a circular carbon economy can help sustain people's lifestyles by fostering a petrochemical industry that views waste CO2_as a viable raw material.