Multi-Criteria decision framework for commercial and advanced CO2 capture technologies: a data-driven review and assessment for industrial decarbonization

• Multi-criteria model ranks commercial and advanced CO 2 capture systems. • TRL, energy use, cost, purity, and modularity form core metrics. • SMR case study validates framework under real process and pressure data. • Hybrid capture chains outperform single-technology strategies. • Results guide project design, investment, and decarbonization policy. Carbon capture remains the most energy and cost-intensive stage in the CCUS chain, and its large-scale deployment is still constrained by integration complexity, economic uncertainty, and a lack of unified tools that link technology readiness with sector-specific deployment needs. Unlike conventional reviews that summarize technology status, this work introduces a data-driven, multi-criteria framework that quantitatively evaluates technology readiness, performance, and deployment feasibility using real licensors and industrial datasets. This review consolidates global evidence from more than 70 commercial and advanced CO 2 capture technologies and develops a multi-criteria decision framework to select the best carbon capture technology for the energy systems. To facilitate systematic comparison across major technology families such as chemical absorption, physical absorption, adsorption, cryogenic, chemical looping, and membrane, the framework integrates quantifiable indicators such as TRL, energy consumption, capture efficiency, cost metrics, modularity, and industrial applicability. The analysis reveals that the post-combustion absorption system dominates current deployment, accounting for over 85% of operational plants, while emerging cryogenic and looping processes show promise for high-pressure and high-purity applications. Energy requirements range from 0.4 to 5.2 GJ/tCO 2 depending on process type and maturity, with potential cost reduction of up to 40% in next-generation designs. By linking technical performance with deployment feasibility, the framework turns diverse industrial and licensor data into a structured roadmap for technology selection and further enhancement in energy consumption through the utilization of green technologies. It connects innovation in technologies and engineering metrics with investment and policy priorities, supporting scalable and low-carbon capture strategies.