Author: Dr Shababa Selim, Senior Technology Analyst at IDTechEx
Carbon capture is fast emerging as a key application of MOFs, resulting from the high CO2 selectivity, cycling stability, and low energy requirements for regeneration. MOF-based technologies offer the potential for significant reductions in operational costs compared to incumbent systems such as amine-scrubbing. With commercial systems expected to enter the market before the turn of the decade, IDTechEx's report, “Metal-Organic Frameworks 2025-2035: Markets, Technologies, and Forecasts“, predicts a nearly 50-fold growth in the demand for MOFs in carbon capture between 2027 and 2035.
Players progressing towards commercializing MOF-based carbon capture technologies. Source: IDTechEx
MOF players are pivoting to carbon capture
The growing carbon capture market presents opportunities for more cost-effective solutions. MOF-based materials are less energy-intensive to use for carbon capture than incumbent technologies and can undergo fast adsorption-desorption cycles to regenerate within minutes. IDTechEx's report, “Metal-Organic Frameworks 2025-2035: Markets, Technologies, and Forecasts”, critically assesses MOF-based solid sorbents and membrane technologies under development for point source and direct air capture (DAC).
In the last 3-5 years, several startups have strategically pivoted to focus on MOF-based carbon capture technologies. Svante, Nuada, Captivate Technology, and UniSieve are among the players developing modular systems that are easier to upscale than complex solvent-based technologies and aim to lower manufacturing costs through economies of scale. Several of these technologies have progressed to pilot scale and pre-commercial trials operating at 1-30 tonnes of CO2 removal per day, with Svante being a clear leader in the field. There is also potential to scale and adapt these modular technologies rapidly. For example, Australian startup AspiraDAC told IDTechEx that a key benefit of its modular technology is its inherent flexibility to change the MOF-based sorbents within the system as MOFs continue to develop within the field.
Performance of MOF-based carbon capture solutions
For point source carbon capture, MOFs as solid sorbents increasingly demonstrate CO2 capture efficiencies of 95% or above and separate CO2 from flue gas compositions to ~95% purity by players such as Nuada and Svante. These systems generally use pressure or temperature swing adsorption processes, or a combination of the two in some cases, to regenerate the sorbent.
On the other hand, companies like UniSieve are developing non-adsorptive membranes that use MOFs for CO2 separation through size exclusion. These membranes not only eliminate the need for regeneration, further lowering operational costs, but are starting to demonstrate capture efficiency and purity comparable to MOF sorbents during initial tests and pilot trials.
While MOFs for point source carbon capture have made several advances, direct air capture technologies are largely at earlier stages in the development phase owing to challenges associated with DAC such as the lower atmospheric CO2 concentration compared to flue gases. However, there are several players tackling these challenges using MOF-based sorbents, such as AspiraDAC, SyncMOF, Baker Hughes, and Atoco.
IDTechEx outlook for MOF-based carbon capture technologies
In recent years, a growing number of partnerships have been witnessed between MOF manufacturers and carbon capture technology innovators to accelerate the development and commercialization of these technologies. Once these technologies begin to enter the market, IDTechEx forecasts the demand for MOFs will grow 50-fold between 2027 and 2035. In line with this, MOF manufacturers will need to rapidly grow production capacity using scalable methods. As commercial production of MOFs expands for carbon capture, this also has the potential to reduce manufacturing costs which could be instrumental in achieving more competitive market prices.
However, a key challenge and bottleneck is often the optimization and adaptation of the production process to translate a given MOF from the lab to industry. For example, BASF told IDTechEx that the scaling up phase, including synthesis and downstream processing, can take up to ~2 years depending on the MOF.
IDTechEx's report, “Metal-Organic Frameworks 2025-2035: Markets, Technologies, and Forecasts”, covers recent technological advances in carbon capture solutions and assesses key players and market activity. It also provides 10-year market forecasts for carbon capture and other key applications in terms of yearly mass demand and market value. Informed by insights gained from primary research, the report also evaluates MOF manufacturing processes, challenges, and strategies adopted by key players to bring MOFs to market.
For more information on this report, including downloadable sample pages, please see www.IDTechEx.com/MOFs.
For more information on carbon capture technologies, please see IDTechEx's report “Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) Markets 2025-2045: Technologies, Market Forecasts, and Players“.
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