Carbon Capture and Utilization: Catalytic Strategies for CO2 and Biomass Valorization

A special issue of Catalysts (ISSN 2073-4344). This special issue belongs to the section "Catalytic Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 November 2026 | Viewed by 169

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Interdisciplinary Research Center for Refining and Advanced Chemicals, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
Interests: carbon capture & utilization; energy conversion devicesagreen chemistry; carbon capture and conversion; energy conversion devices; sustainable chemical processes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Interdisciplinary Research Center for Refining and Advanced Chemicals, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
Interests: biomass valorization; carbon capture; energy conversion

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Carbon capture and utilization (CCU) represents a promising pathway toward carbon neutrality by integrating CO2 mitigation with the sustainable production of value-added chemicals and fuels through advanced catalytic processes and material design. In this broader carbon cycling context, CO2 conversion can be synergistically coupled with biomass valorization, where biomass-derived feedstocks are catalytically transformed into biofuels and biochemicals. Atmospheric CO2 is first captured using engineered porous catalysts, followed by catalytic transformation via thermocatalytic, photocatalytic, or electrocatalytic routes. In parallel, biomass-derived intermediates (e.g., oxygenates from lignin, carbohydrates, and lipids) serve as renewable carbon sources that can be upgraded through catalytic pathways—such as hydrodeoxygenation (HDO), hydrogenation, reforming, and selective deoxygenation—to yield fuel-range hydrocarbons and functional chemicals. Rational catalyst design incorporating nanoscale structural tunability, heterointerface engineering, and optimized active sites plays a crucial role in improving reaction kinetics, selectivity, and energy efficiency across both CO2 conversion and biomass upgrading. The integration of CO2 capture, catalytic conversion, and catalytic biomass valorization highlights a closed-loop framework that bridges fundamental catalysis with scalable reactor concepts. By combining CO2 utilization with catalytic biomass-to-biofuel conversion, this strategy enhances overall carbon efficiency and process sustainability, accelerating the development of next-generation carbon-neutral energy and chemical systems.

Dr. Sheraz Ahmed
Dr. Wajahat Waheed Kazmi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • thermochemical CO2 conversion
  • electrochemical CO2 conversion
  • photochemical CO2 conversion
  • biomass valorization
  • heterogenous catalysis

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