CO2 Valorization by Converting Flue Gas into Graphene

Abstract Carbon materials hold an exclusive spot among modern advanced materials with a variety of beneficial properties. However, their widespread use is hindered by challenges in scaling up production and, in some cases, a significant carbon footprint. Graphene is a 2D sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb structure. Outstanding properties make this material of great interest for various applications, including oil extraction. The paper provides discussion of recent graphene applications and highlights its potential as a material for drilling, cementing, and stimulating fluids. The goal of this work is to summarize recent progress in developing large-scale graphene production and highlight the best approach for future improvements.Among the several graphene manufacturing strategies proposed to date, we chose one that employs plasma to convert a CO2 and hydrogen mixture (mass ratio of 3-4 to 1) to graphene foil coated on a metal support. Such an approach surpasses other proposed technologies in terms of scalability, cost-effectiveness, and CO2 emissions reduction. Further investigation indicated that this strategy may be applied to the mixtures of CO2 with H2O or H2S rather than expensive hydrogen.The novelty of the paper lies in the development and economical assessment of the rising technology converting CO2 to valuable material — graphene.Additionally, the possibility of using waste gas such as H2S instead of H2 to produce graphene was highlighted.