--- title: MOFs vs. other advanced materials for carbon capture description: New technology advances allow MOFs to outperform other porous materials for carbon capture in coal-fired power plant conditions with improved stability. image: https://blog.novomof.com/hubfs/Blog%2026%20%20header%20(1)-1%20(1)-3.jpg --- [info@novoMOF.com](mailto:info@novoMOF.com) - - - - [![novoMOF AG](https://blog.novomof.com/hs-fs/hubfs/raw_assets/public/NovoMOF_September2020/images/novoMOF_small_WEB.jpeg?width=115&height=74&name=novoMOF_small_WEB.jpeg "novoMOF AG")](https://novomof.com/) - - [CO₂ CAPTURE](https://novomof.com/technology/co2-capture/) - [CO₂ CAPTURE](https://novomof.com/technology/co2-capture/) - [For Technology Providers](https://novomof.com/technology/for-technology-providers/) - [For Industrial Emitters](https://novomof.com/technology/for-industrial-emitters/) - [MOF Technology](https://novomof.com/technology/) - [MOF Technology](https://novomof.com/technology/) - [CO₂ capture](https://novomof.com/technology/co2-capture/) - [Biogas upgrading](https://novomof.com/technology/biogas-upgrading/) - [Gas purification](https://novomof.com/technology/gas-purification/) - [Water harvesting](https://novomof.com/technology/water-harvesting/) - [Other applications](https://novomof.com/technology/other-applications/) - [About us](https://novomof.com/about-us/) - [History](https://novomof.com/about-us/#history) - [Mission & Vision](https://novomof.com/about-us/) - [Team](https://novomof.com/about-us/#team) - [Partners](https://novomof.com/about-us/#partners) - [Testimonials](https://novomof.com/about-us/#testimonials) - [Newsletter](https://info.novomof.com/newsletter) - [Blog](https://blog.novomof.com/) - [Careers](https://careers.novomof.com/) - [CO₂ CAPTURE](https://novomof.com/technology/co2-capture/) - [CO₂ CAPTURE](https://novomof.com/technology/co2-capture/) - [For Technology Providers](https://novomof.com/technology/for-technology-providers/) - [For Industrial Emitters](https://novomof.com/technology/for-industrial-emitters/) - [MOF Technology](https://novomof.com/technology/) - [MOF Technology](https://novomof.com/technology/) - [CO₂ capture](https://novomof.com/technology/co2-capture/) - [Biogas upgrading](https://novomof.com/technology/biogas-upgrading/) - [Gas purification](https://novomof.com/technology/gas-purification/) - [Water harvesting](https://novomof.com/technology/water-harvesting/) - [Other applications](https://novomof.com/technology/other-applications/) - [About us](https://novomof.com/about-us/) - [History](https://novomof.com/about-us/#history) - [Mission & Vision](https://novomof.com/about-us/) - [Team](https://novomof.com/about-us/#team) - [Partners](https://novomof.com/about-us/#partners) - [Testimonials](https://novomof.com/about-us/#testimonials) - [Newsletter](https://info.novomof.com/newsletter) - [Blog](https://blog.novomof.com/) - [Careers](https://careers.novomof.com/) # MOFs vs. other advanced materials for carbon capture By [Cristina](https://blog.novomof.com/author/cristina) 27. October 2022 [Activated Carbon](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/activated-carbon), [Adsorption](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/adsorption), [Carbon Capture](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/carbon-capture), [Carbon Dioxide](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/carbon-dioxide), [Gas Capture and Sequestration](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/gas-capture-and-sequestration), [General](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/general), [Zeolite](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/zeolite), [MOFs](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/mofs) - [No Comments](https://blog.novomof.com/mofs-vs.-other-advanced-materials-for-carbon-capture#comments-listing) Implementing carbon capture and storage systems is critical to reducing environmental pollution. Current capture technologies are based on liquid amine absorption methods (amine scrubbing). Besides amines, calcium looping systems have been developed to increase carbon capture efficiency. Alternatively, adsorption methods are gaining interest as an excellent option to replace absorption processes. Adsorption technology uses solid, porous materials to trap CO2. It is intended to be implemented mainly in fossil fuel power plants to capture the CO2 generated after combustion. Nevertheless, adsorption technology is facing some challenges which novel materials could overcome. ## Challenges in carbon capture technologies ![Blog 20 - Image](https://blog.novomof.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog%2020%20-%20Image.jpg?width=297&height=280&name=Blog%2020%20-%20Image.jpg)Amine scrubbing is a well-established technology used at the industrial scale for carbon capture due to its good CO2 efficiency and technology maturity. However, it is an energy-intensive technique that significantly reduces the overall energy efficiency of the carbon capture system. For instance, the capture step in an amine-based system for a coal-fired power plant accounts for 60-80% of the system's total cost. Moreover, the solvents used in amine scrubbers are highly corrosive, leading to a fast deterioration of the equipment. Calcium looping (or Ca-looping) is another chemical reaction method based on calcium materials derived from limestones. The sorbent materials are cheap and possess a high affinity towards sulfur compounds which is beneficial for the production of a pure CO2 gas stream. Nevertheless, Ca-looping reactions are temperature dependent and require temperatures as high as 900-950°C. Therefore, the process is energy-intensive and suffers from low cycling stability. Owing to these disadvantages, new materials are under development to increase the process efficiency. The most novel and exciting alternative for carbon capture is adsorption technology. Adsorbents with high porosity are used to increase the capture capacity. The porous materials with promising results are zeolites and Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs). ## Is adsorption technology a good alternative? The adsorption-based methods are attractive for carbon capture due to the simplicity of the process and flexibility during operation. Since the adsorption is carried out in the solid state, the equipment necessary for operation does not suffer from excessive corrosion from aggressive solvents, and the operating costs are reduced due to their mild operation conditions. Adsorption technology is favored for CO2 capture in post-combustion conditions such as low pressure, mild temperatures, and low carbon dioxide concentration, where implementing absorption techniques will result in high operating costs. Therefore, this technology can be implemented in two sectors with higher contribution to CO2 emissions: the industrial (i.e., cement, iron and steel, and refineries) and energy and heat generation sectors (i.e., coal and natural gas fire power plants). ![CO2 emissions by sector](https://blog.novomof.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CO2%20emissions%20by%20sector.png?width=600&height=338&name=CO2%20emissions%20by%20sector.png)Carbon capture in coal-fired power plants Coal is the largest contributor to carbon dioxide emissions in the world. Coal-fired power plants supply about 27% of the primary energy and generate almost 50% of global CO2 emissions. Flue gas from coal combustion contains 70-75% N2, 10-15% CO2, 8-10% H2O, 3-4% O2 and traces of SOx and NOx compounds. High-water content in this flue gas represents the major challenge during the carbon capture process due to its competitive adsorption with carbon dioxide. Most adsorbent materials show a significant decrease in CO2 adsorption when they are in the presence of water; a capacity loss could be as high as 90%. Recent advances have been made to increase capture capacity by integrating amine molecules into adsorbents; with this modification, materials show acid-base properties like liquid amines. ## Zeolites vs. MOFs Recently, the performance of alkylamine-modified adsorbents, including zeolites (i.e., zeolite 13X), mesoporous silicas, and [MOFs (i.e., mmen-Mg(dobpdc)),](https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.5b00838) was assessed. Results show that zeolites and MOFs perform better under dry conditions. However, under humid conditions like those found in flue gas from coal-fired power plants, MOFs outperform zeolites, even increasing their performance slightly in the presence of water molecules. ## ![zeolite vs MOF](https://blog.novomof.com/hs-fs/hubfs/zeolite%20vs%20MOF.png?width=500&height=281&name=zeolite%20vs%20MOF.png)Stable performance of MOFs The presence of SOx, NOx, and particulate matter in flue gas streams from coal-fired power plants represents another challenge for post-combustion capture. The presence of such molecules affects not only the performance of porous materials but amine solutions too. Amines suffer from deterioration in the presence of SOx molecules leading to irreversible capture capacity loss. Thanks to the versatility of MOF technology, MOFs can be tuned to withstand humid SO2 conditions. In comparison to aqueous amine technology, MOFs offer: - Enhanced stability - Superior selectivity over nitrogen - Lower energy requirements - Comparable working capacity The implementation of adsorption technology can help to reduce up to 40% of the parasitic energy during carbon capture compared to typical systems such as amine scrubbing, improving the overall efficiency of the process. Please visit our previous [blogs](https://blog.novomof.com/) and [success stories](https://novomof.com/technology/) to learn more about MOFs' amazing world.                 [![New call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/5529658/d821bfb2-80a4-4df7-b8c6-af53ba016265.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/5529658/d821bfb2-80a4-4df7-b8c6-af53ba016265) Search... ### Recent Posts ### Posts by Tag - [Adsorption (45)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/adsorption) - [General (44)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/general) - [Gas Capture and Sequestration (33)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/gas-capture-and-sequestration) - [Carbon Capture (31)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/carbon-capture) - [Carbon Dioxide (30)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/carbon-dioxide) - [MOFs (12)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/mofs) - [Catalysis (9)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/catalysis) - [Company News (9)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/company-news) - [Electronics (4)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/electronics) - [Filtration (4)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/filtration) - [Pharmaceuticals (4)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/pharmaceuticals) - [Activated Carbon (3)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/activated-carbon) - [Biomedical application (3)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/biomedical-application) - [Cleanrooms (3)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/cleanrooms) - [Cleantech (3)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/cleantech) - [Energy Storage (3)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/energy-storage) - [Gas Separation (3)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/gas-separation) - [Sensing Application (3)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/sensing-application) - [Zeolite (3)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/zeolite) - [CO2 reduction (2)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/co2-reduction) - [Dehumidification (2)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/dehumidification) - [Drug Delivery (2)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/drug-delivery) - [Gas Storage (2)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/gas-storage) - [Methane (2)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/methane) - [Silica (2)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/silica) - [Adsorption / Desorption (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/adsorption-desorption) - [Aqueous amine scrubbers (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/aqueous-amine-scrubbers) - [Biogas (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/biogas) - [CO2 capture (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/co2-capture) - [Calcium looping (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/calcium-looping) - [Chemical Synthesis (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/chemical-synthesis) - [Climate Change (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/climate-change) - [Condensation (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/condensation) - [Conferences (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/conferences) - [DAC (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/dac) - [Desorption (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/desorption) - [Drug Carrier (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/drug-carrier) - [Energy (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/energy) - [Energy efficiency (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/energy-efficiency) - [Flue gas (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/flue-gas) - [Food applications (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/food-applications) - [Gas purification (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/gas-purification) - [Greenhouse (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/greenhouse) - [Nitrogen (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/nitrogen) - [Noncryogenic Air Separation (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/noncryogenic-air-separation) - [Oxygen Production (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/oxygen-production) - [Oxygen Purification (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/oxygen-purification) - [Particle Size (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/particle-size) - [Petrochemicals (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/petrochemicals) - [Pollutants (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/pollutants) - [Post-combustion capture (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/post-combustion-capture) - [Power (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/power) - [Renewable Feedstocks (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/renewable-feedstocks) - [Semiconductors (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/semiconductors) - [Sensing (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/sensing) - [Water Purification (1)](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/water-purification) See all - ### Previous Post Air dehumidification with MOFs - ### Next Post MOFs vs. other porous materials for carbon capture ### Related Posts [![After the Nobel: MOFs Enter the Age of Deployment](https://blog.novomof.com/hubfs/NDSC_3557-1.jpg)](https://blog.novomof.com/nobel-prize-article) [General](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/general) ### After the Nobel: MOFs Enter the Age of Deployment ![Daniel Steitz](https://blog.novomof.com/hubfs/daniel.png) [Daniel Steitz](https://blog.novomof.com/author/daniel-steitz) 5. November 2025 [![Press Release](https://blog.novomof.com/hubfs/Poster-cover-(3).jpg)](https://blog.novomof.com/press-release) [General](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/general) ### Press Release ![Daniel Steitz](https://blog.novomof.com/hubfs/daniel.png) [Daniel Steitz](https://blog.novomof.com/author/daniel-steitz) 20. October 2025 [![Capturing biogenic CO₂](https://blog.novomof.com/hubfs/Blog%205%20-%202025%20header.jpg)](https://blog.novomof.com/capturing-biogenic-co2) [Adsorption](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/adsorption) [Carbon Capture](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/carbon-capture) [Carbon Dioxide](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/carbon-dioxide) [Gas Capture and Sequestration](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/gas-capture-and-sequestration) [General](https://blog.novomof.com/tag/general) ### Capturing biogenic CO₂ [Cristina](https://blog.novomof.com/author/cristina) 8. September 2025 ### *Author* Cristina [More posts by Cristina](https://blog.novomof.com/author/cristina) © novoMOF AG 2025 - [Privacy Policy](https://novomof.com/privacy-policy/)