Global warming is one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century. To mitigate and to potentially reverse the greenhouse effect, governments, industries, and the academic community are striving to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 °C by 2050, and to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. The industrial sector is a major contributor to CO2 emissions, with industrial processes and fossil fuel combustion releasing 26.8 gigatons (Gt) of CO2 globally in 2022—a record high. Reducing emissions from industrial processes is, therefore, critical in combating climate change. Membrane separation technology stands out among CO2 reduction methods for industrial applications due to its unique technical and economic advantages. Unlike cryogenic separation methods, amine scrubbing, or physical adsorption, membranes consume less energy, avoid secondary pollution, and enable continuous separation. Their compact design and small footprint simplify integration into existing industrial set-ups, thus reducing capital costs. While membrane-based CO2 capture is currently progressing toward commercialization, significant challenges still remain before it can achieve widespread adoption.
The performance limitations of current commercial polymer membrane materials drive up overall separation costs, hindering the rapid adoption of membrane technology. High-performance systems, such as zeolite, MOF, facilitated transport and graphene oxide membranes, have shown promising results in laboratory tests but face challenges including reproducibility, scalability in fabrication, and a lack of field trial data, delaying their path to commercialization. Additionally, while membrane separation has been validated in certain industrial applications, such as power plants, cement factories, and steel plants, its application across a broader range of industrial processes remains limited. Finally, conducting techno-economic analysis (TEA) of membrane separation technologies will help facilitate widespread adoption and to guide the targeted development of advanced membrane materials.
This research topic welcomes original research articles, review articles, and forward-looking perspectives on future research directions related to, but not limited, to the following:
• The challenges in membrane material development, scale-up, and field trials for both existing and emerging applications. • The leveraging of emerging technologies, such as molecular simulation and machine learning, to drive innovation and to accelerate advancements in this field.
Article types and fees
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Brief Research Report
Data Report
Editorial
FAIR² Data
General Commentary
Hypothesis and Theory
Methods
Mini Review
Opinion
Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.
Article types
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
