Ionic liquids applied to CO2 fixation and conversion

The emission of CO2 from fossil fuels is the object of an increasing worldwide attention, and although the development of new emission-poor or emission-free energy sources must be the long-term goal, for the near future the development of efficient CO2 capture technologies remains the sole strategy to control the CO2 level. A relatively recent approach to the removal of CO2 from gas streams employs ionic liquids (ILs), a broad class of compounds composed exclusively of ions that exist in the liquid state at room temperature or below. An overview on the different ILs and techniques used to this purpose is here reported. © Springer-Verlag London 2013