Enzymes in carbon capture plant

Supercharge Carbon Capture: Can Enzymes and Innovative Tech Slash Energy Use?

Avery Sinclair in Climate & Environment December 2025 • 4 min read.

"A new study explores how combining enzyme-boosted solvents with advanced tech could revolutionize carbon capture, making it cheaper and more efficient."

Carbon capture is a crucial step towards a sustainable future, but current technologies come with a hefty energy penalty. This article explores innovative approaches to reduce this energy burden, focusing on process intensification techniques.

The first approach involves enhancing mass transfer using a combination of methyldiethanolamine (MDEA), a tertiary amine solvent with high CO2 capacity, and Carbonic Anhydrase (CA), an enzyme that significantly boosts absorption performance. This could allow for more energy-efficient CO2 capture.

The second approach focuses on improved contacting between gas and liquid streams in both absorption and desorption processes. Intensified contacting devices (ICDs) like membrane contactors (MCs) and rotating packed beds (RPBs) offer promising alternatives to traditional packed columns due to their compact design and enhanced operational flexibility.

Enzyme-Powered Carbon Capture: A Comparative Look

Researchers investigated the potential of combining ICDs with CA to optimize the CO2 capture process. The study focused on characterizing the operating windows of this intensified process using an aqueous amine solution with 30% MDEA, both with and without CA. The goal was to evaluate the potential of joint implementation of intensified contacted devices(ICD) and application of CA in carbon capture.

Absorption experiments were conducted in a packed column, membrane contactors (MCs), and rotating packed beds (RPBs) to evaluate the potential improvement of this combined approach. The results showed:

Similar absorption performance across all three devices without CA.
Rotating packed beds (RPBs) demonstrated the ability to handle exceptionally high gas loads.
Membrane contactors (MCs) offered a wider range of liquid load operations.
Packed columns and RPBs outperformed MCs when CA was added to the solvent system.

The study concluded that while no single combination was universally superior, the various methods for process intensification expanded the operating window and improved absorption performance. Each technology presents unique advantages for optimizing carbon capture based on specific operational needs.

The Future of Carbon Capture: A Synergistic Approach

This research highlights the potential of combining innovative technologies like rotating packed beds and membrane contactors with enzyme-enhanced solvents to significantly improve CO2 capture efficiency.

While the study identified a performance diminishing effect when combining CA with membrane contactors, the rotating packed bed showed increased absorption rate when the rotational speed was doubled suggesting that synergies between ICD and enzyme application exist.

Further optimization of these technologies and exploration of synergistic effects could pave the way for more sustainable and cost-effective carbon capture solutions, ultimately contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.

About this Article -

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This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1016/j.egypro.2017.03.1222, Alternate LINK

Title: Enzyme Accelerated Carbon Capture In Different Contacting Equipment - A Comparative Study

Subject: General Medicine

Journal: Energy Procedia

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Authors: Mathias Leimbrink, Kolja Neumann, Katharina Kupitz, Andrzej Górak, Mirko Skiborowski

Published: 2017-07-01

Everything You Need To Know

How did the performance of membrane contactors, rotating packed beds, and packed columns compare when Carbonic Anhydrase (CA) was used?

The study found that when Carbonic Anhydrase (CA) was added to the methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) solvent system, packed columns and rotating packed beds (RPBs) showed superior performance compared to membrane contactors (MCs). However, without CA, the absorption performance was similar across all three devices. Rotating packed beds (RPBs) also demonstrated the ability to handle exceptionally high gas loads, while membrane contactors (MCs) offered a wider range of liquid load operations.

What are intensified contacting devices (ICDs), and how do they contribute to more efficient carbon capture?

Intensified contacting devices (ICDs) such as membrane contactors (MCs) and rotating packed beds (RPBs) enhance the contact between gas and liquid streams, which is crucial for efficient absorption and desorption processes in carbon capture. Their compact design and enhanced operational flexibility offer advantages over traditional packed columns. The performance of intensified contacted devices (ICD) is further enhanced by the addition of Carbonic Anhydrase (CA) due to the increased absorption performance of the solvent. The use of methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) enables higher CO2 capacity of the solvent during the carbon capture process.

What specific combinations of technologies were investigated to optimize the CO2 capture process?

The research examined a combination of methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) and Carbonic Anhydrase (CA) to improve absorption, and intensified contacting devices (ICDs) like membrane contactors (MCs) and rotating packed beds (RPBs) to improve gas-liquid contact. The ultimate goal was to expand the operating window and improve absorption performance. The research indicates that this is an achievable goal, with each method offering distinct advantages depending on the specific operational parameters.

What role does Carbonic Anhydrase (CA) play in enhancing carbon capture, and what are the implications of using it?

Carbonic Anhydrase (CA) is an enzyme that significantly accelerates the absorption of CO2 when added to solvents like methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) used in carbon capture. This boosted absorption helps make the carbon capture process more energy-efficient. The implication is that by using CA, less energy is needed to capture the same amount of CO2, which addresses a major hurdle in making carbon capture a more sustainable and economically viable climate solution. This is further improved when combined with intensified contacted devices (ICD).

What is the overall potential of combining enzyme-enhanced solvents with innovative technologies for carbon capture, and why is this significant?

Combining enzyme-boosted solvents with intensified contacting devices (ICD) expands the operating window and enhances absorption performance of carbon capture processes. While there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution, the synergistic use of technologies like Carbonic Anhydrase (CA) with methyldiethanolamine (MDEA), rotating packed beds (RPBs), and membrane contactors (MCs) presents a promising pathway to optimize carbon capture based on specific operational requirements. This approach could lead to more efficient and cost-effective CO2 capture, furthering progress toward a sustainable future.