An Open Data Approach for Comparing CO2 Sorbents

Abstract The rapid growth of research on CO2 capture has led to the development of hundreds of novel sorbents. Their direct comparison is challenging because the reported metrics, testing conditions, and data formats vary across studies. This study examines developments reported between 2021 and 2026 across seven major sorbent classes: amines, alkali-based sorbents, alkaline-earth sorbents, metal–organic frameworks, carbon materials, ionic liquids, and hybrid sorbents. Our statistical analysis demonstrated a substantial overlap in performance between these classes. Beyond maximum CO2 capture capacity alone, increasing attention is now being given to system-level descriptors, such as regeneration energy, sorption kinetics, cyclic stability, selectivity, scalability, and cost. To support consistent comparison of CO2 sorbents, we compiled data from the literature on more than 120 sorbents into an openly accessible, machine-readable data set. An accompanying interactive multidimensional tool enables application-driven sorbent selection. Together, the data set, statistical analysis, and open tool provide a practical basis for linking sorbent development with emerging CO2 capture technologies.