Ultra-low-energy CO2 capture by planar-stacked solid amine sorbent with pulsed microwave regeneration

Yunxia Wen; Peng Jiang; Mingxing Zhou; Han Wang; Tong Zhou; Zhinan Wu; Bei Liu; Ning Qu; Jie Kong; Huacheng Zhu; Yang Yang; Han Lin; Xiaohua Lu; Tuo Ji; Jiahua Zhu

doi:10.59717/j.xinn-mater.2026.100224

The Innovation Materials > 2026 Vol. 4 > No. 3 > 100224

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Ultra-low-energy CO₂ capture by planar-stacked solid amine sorbent with pulsed microwave regeneration

1.
State Key Laboratory of Material-Oriented Chemical Engineering, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 211816, China
2.
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710129, China
3.
College of Electronics and Information Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
4.
These authors contributed equally

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Corresponding authors: tuoji@njtech.edu.cn (T.J.); jhzhu@njtech.edu.cn (J.Z.)
Received Date: October 20, 2025

Accepted Date: June 16, 2026

Published Online: June 16, 2026

The Innovation Materials 4(3), https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-mater.2026.100224 | Cite this article

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PUBLIC SUMMARY

PUBLIC SUMMARY
1. Microwave-responsive PEI-based solid sorbent developed for efficient CO₂ capture.
  
  Pulsed microwave regeneration achieves ultra-low energy use of 1.02 MJ/tCO₂.
  
  Techno-economic analysis shows CO₂ avoidance cost reduced to 14.09 USD/tCO₂.

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture with energy duty of below 2.0 MJ·kg⁻¹ CO₂ is the global prospect in the decarbonization process. Herein, we present a microwave-responsive amine sorbent coupled with a pulsed microwave regeneration (AS-MR) process that achieves rapid and fully regeneration of amine sorbent within 2 seconds of microwave pulse. By matching the energy input with the desorption rate, ultra-low energy duty of 1.02 MJ·kg⁻¹ CO₂ can be achieved for sorbent regeneration and 1.21 MJ·kg⁻¹ CO₂ for the AS-MR system during an adsorption-desorption cycle. Insights into the mechanism indicate that the directional electric field aids the CO₂ desorption process by weakening and polarizing the C-N bond in the carbamate acid state. Techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment demonstrate the sustainability of this technology with costs below $20·tonne⁻¹, directly responding to the pressing demand for economically viable decarbonization technologies in challenging industrial sectors.
- Adsorption /
- Microwave chemistry /
- Solid amine sorbent /
- Carbon capture /
- Regeneration

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Wen Y., Jiang P., Zhou M., et al. (2026). Ultra-low-energy CO2 capture by planar-stacked solid amine sorbent with pulsed microwave regeneration. The Innovation Materials 4:100224. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-mater.2026.100224

Wen Y., Jiang P., Zhou M., et al. (2026). Ultra-low-energy CO₂ capture by planar-stacked solid amine sorbent with pulsed microwave regeneration. The Innovation Materials 4:100224. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-mater.2026.100224

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Ultra-low-energy CO₂ capture by planar-stacked solid amine sorbent with pulsed microwave regeneration

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

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