Perspective on the Accelerated Mineralization Technology for Carbon Dioxide Capture, Utilization, and Storage

This perspective paper explores accelerated mineralization technology to capture and generate value-added products while managing greenhouse gas emissions to support long-term environmental and energy goals. Mineralization, also known as mineral sequestration or mineral carbonation, involves the reaction of alkaline materials with CO2, mimicking natural weathering processes. In this reaction, gaseous CO2 interacts with calcium- or magnesium-bearing compounds (such as oxides, hydroxides, or silicates) in the presence of moisture, forming stable Ca/Mg carbonates. The presence of water or moisture accelerates the dissolution of Ca- or Mg-containing compounds to release Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions needed for reacting with CO2 to produce the respective solid carbonates. These carbonated products have lower free energy of formation, allowing CO2 to be permanently stored over geological time scales. Accelerated mineralization significantly enhances reaction rates, reducing processing times from days or decades to mere minutes or hours through carefully tuned process conditions (e.g., grinding, temperature, and pressure), additives, or solvents. Both direct and indirect carbon mineralization methods can be applied to manage three industrial waste streams: alkaline solid residues, wastewater, and CO2-containing flue gas. A bibliometric analysis revealed that the foundational mechanistic principles of carbonation/mineralization reactions were established between the 1990s and early 2000s. More recent studies (from the late 2000s onward) have expanded these insights, focusing on advanced material characterization, novel CO2 mineralization strategies, and pilot- and demonstration-scale implementations. While accelerated mineralization shows significant promise for CO2 capture, utilization, and storage, several challenges remain, broadly categorized into feedstock selection, process optimization, and product development. Feedstock variability strongly influences the mode of operation and final product applications. Techno-economic assessments indicate that the value associated with producing CO2- and silica-based products has a significant impact on the commercialization potential of a technology. Advancing novel chemical pathways for energy- and material-efficient carbon mineralization and high-value product applications will be crucial to enhance the viability and commercialization of these technologies.