Green Chemistry Approaches to Carbon Capture and Utilisation: Transforming Industrial Emissions into Value-Added Products and Community Well-Being

Abstract

Anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions continue to drive climate change, air pollution, and respiratory disease burdens in industrialised and rapidly industrialising regions. Carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) offers a dual-benefit pathway: mitigating greenhouse gas concentrations while converting CO₂ into economically valuable products. This review synthesises 2019–2026 evidence on green chemistry approaches to CCU, examining capture technologies (amine absorption, solid adsorption, membrane separation, ionic liquids), conversion processes (photocatalytic reduction, electrochemical CO₂ reduction, biological fixation, mineral carbonation), and downstream products (methanol, syngas, carbonates, urea, and synthetic fuels). We analyse the health-informed process safety frameworks required to protect communities near industrial facilities, the solar-driven photocatalytic systems that enable renewable-energy-powered conversion, and the equity-centred life cycle assessments that evaluate supply-chain justice. Community well-being co-benefits—including improved air quality, reduced respiratory morbidity, green job creation, and agricultural productivity gains—are quantified across deployment pathways. Drawing on 100 peer-reviewed sources, we propose an integrated CCU governance framework embedding carbon pricing, social life cycle assessment, and health equity metrics. Without deliberate attention to energy penalties, material circularity, and just transition principles, CCU risks becoming an technocratic exercise that externalises harms to vulnerable populations.

Keywords: carbon capture and utilisation, green chemistry, CO₂ conversion, photocatalysis, electrochemical reduction, mineral carbonation, community well-being, life cycle assessment, process safety, health equity, climate resilience