Carbon Dioxide Splitting: A Summary of the Peer-Reviewed Scientific Literature

Abstract

AbstractIncreasing concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere have stimulated significant global research and development efforts regarding the reduction in CO2 emissions from all point and non-point sources. In addition to technologies that do not use carbon feedstocks or which capture and "permanently" store CO2 (i.e., sequestration), there is considerable worldwide interest among the academic, industrial, and government communities regarding methods for dissociating waste stream carbon dioxide molecules into their constituent carbon and oxygen ("CO2 splitting") atoms as a final "end-of-pipe" treatment option. The splitting of carbon dioxide has also been actively discussed and researched in the space exploration and extraterrestrial colonization programs for several decades. This document summarizes the peer-reviewed open source scientific literature regarding carbon dioxide splitting.