Gulf chemistry advances brighten prospects for carbon capture but scale‑up remains the hurdle

A joint review by the American University of Sharjah and Heriot‑Watt University sketches a brighter, though still cautious, horizon for carbon capture in the Gulf. The paper surveys recent progress in solvent chemistry, sorbent materials and electrochemical regeneration, arguing that a new generation of capture technologies could meaningfully shrink the energy and cost penalties that have long slowed deployment in heavy industries such as oil and gas, cement and steel. Honestly, the authors aren’t promising a miracle, just a clearer path forward.

According to the Nature Reviews Chemistry article co‑authored by Maroto‑Valer and Dr Steve Griffiths, the most immediate gains stem from incremental chemistry improvements to well‑established solvent systems. Traditional monoethanolamine (MEA) capture plants, the review notes, burn through roughly 0.9–1.2 MWh to regenerate solvents for every tonne of CO2 captured—energy that can account for as much as 80% of operating costs. But blended amine formulations, such as MEA/MDEA mixes, and “water‑lean” or phase‑splitting solvents can substantially cut that regeneration burden. Speaking to Technical Review Middle East, Dr Griffiths—professor and vice‑chancellor for research at AUS—described blended amines as “the most established carbon‑capture technology,” with MEA/MDEA blends achieving over 30% reductions in regeneration energy compared with single solvents. This approach—well, it does seem to offer a pretty meaningful head start.

Beyond tweaks to existing chemistries, the review highlights more disruptive routes that are moving from laboratory curiosity toward pilot demonstration. Electrochemical regeneration and electroswing systems promise to replace thermal reboilers with electrically driven cycles, reducing the need for heat and enabling better coupling with renewables. Metal‑organic frameworks (MOFs) and other advanced solid adsorbents offer much higher surface areas and lower theoretical regeneration energies than liquids; they are already being piloted at industrial sites. The authors caution, however, that material stability, scalability and the ability to meet industrial purity and recovery targets remain significant barriers. The review stresses that ambitious performance goals—such as achieving 90% CO2 recovery at 95% purity—are still largely aspirational for many of these novel approaches.

The American University of Sharjah framed the paper’s findings in regional policy terms, noting that these chemistry advances could dovetail with Gulf strategies to decarbonise hard‑to‑abate sectors. In a university press release, Dr Griffiths linked the technologies to the UAE’s plans for low‑carbon hydrogen and industrial decarbonisation, saying carbon capture “is central to the sustainability and economic plans of the UAE and the broader GCC.” You see, policy and science are getting bundled together here, and that matters.

Industry plans and government targets already reflect that strategic thinking. ADNOC says it intends to capture roughly 10 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030 and has outlined a US$15 billion investment envelope for low‑carbon projects through that date, covering carbon capture, hydrogen, electrification and renewables. Saudi Arabia has set an even larger ambition: government and industry plans summarized by the Global CCS Institute project the development of about 44 million tonnes per annum of capture capacity by 2035, anchored to proposed hubs around Jubail and Yanbu. QatarEnergy, in a memorandum with GE Vernova, is pursuing CCUS expansion to exceed 11 million tonnes per annum by 2035 and is exploring a world‑scale hub at Ras Laffan to lower LNG carbon intensity, GE Vernova’s press release states. Well, the scale of commitment here is striking, no doubt about it.

Pilot projects are testing whether the laboratory promise withstands real‑world conditions. In the UK, Drax is trialling MOF‑based capture on biomass flue gas at an incubation site in North Yorkshire, with government innovation funding backing prototype work to assess capture rates and techno‑economic performance. Those pilots underline a common theme in the literature and the review: novel sorbents and electrochemical systems can lower theoretical energy requirements, but their techno‑economic competitiveness hinges on durability, scale‑up and integration costs that are not yet fully proven. This is where the rubber meets the road, and honestly, the outcome isn’t guaranteed.

That caution is echoed by independent analysts. The Global CCS Institute has emphasised the engineering, pipeline and storage infrastructure required to make hub‑scale capture practical, noting that financing, regulation and long‑term storage liability frameworks will be decisive for Gulf ambitions. In short, the chemical advances give policymakers and operators better tools—but they do not eliminate the need for industrial planning, risk capital and regulatory clarity.

The economics are moving in a favorable direction for some applications. The AUS/Heriot‑Watt review and accompanying coverage point to scenarios in which capture costs for natural gas‑fired streams might fall to around US$50 per tonne under optimistic assumptions about solvent performance and regeneration energy. Those figures, if realized at scale, would change the calculus for coupling capture with hydrogen production and blue‑hydrogen strategies being evaluated across the region. Still, the review and industry observers underline that cost estimates depend sensitively on feedstock composition, plant integration, energy prices and whether CO2 transport and storage are available at scale. It’s not a slam dunk; there are still big moving parts.

For the Gulf, where hydrocarbon industries and energy‑intensive manufacturing are central to national economies, the implications are straightforward: improved capture technologies broaden the policy menu. They make it easier to contemplate low‑carbon hydrogen production, to lower the lifecycle emissions of LNG and petrochemicals, and to decarbonise cement plants that otherwise lack zero‑carbon alternatives. But translating lab‑scale gains into tens of millions of tonnes of capacity that countries have targeted by 2030–2035 will require coordinated investment, demonstration projects and supply‑chain development. As the Nature review puts it, chemistry advances are “unlocking new pathways,” but scale‑up, material stability and purity targets remain the critical next phase.

In short, the Gulf now has both technical reasons for optimism and a practical to‑do list. New solvents, electroswing and MOF‑based systems could cut energy and costs enough to move carbon capture from niche to mainstream in particular industrial settings. Yet universities, developers and state actors will need to prove those gains in multi‑year demonstrations, tie them to carbon transport and storage infrastructure, and mobilise the financing and regulatory arrangements that turn pilot promise into gigatonne‑scale deployment by the 2030s. It’s a tall order, but not an impossibility, if the right mix of policy backing and real‑world testing comes together.

Source: Noah Wire Services