Gas Separation, Carbon Capture and Biofuels - The Sustainability Rise

From gas separation membranes and carbon capture to sustainable biofuels and next-generation feedstocks, IDTechEx's expansive portfolio of Sustainability Research Reports and Subscriptions covers a huge range of technologies, with deep dives into different sustainable markets, and forecasts for their developments spanning the next decade.

 

 

In the pursuit of achieving net-zero by 2050, decarbonization technologies are more of a topic of discussion than ever. New gas separation membrane technologies will be able to contribute to some of these decarbonization efforts, for processes including post-combustion carbon capture. In the current market, IDTechEx identifies natural gas processing as a mature application, using materials including cellulose acetate and polyimide. However, improved performance factors are now becoming a priority with new membrane materials being developed.

 

IDTechEx's report, "Gas Separation Membranes 2026-2036: Materials, Markets, Players, and Forecasts", highlights some of the main benefits of using membranes for gas separation. Energy efficiency, compared to other methods, and compact design are amongst the most notable, alongside the possibility for environmentally friendly processes in the absence of solvents and other chemicals. Membranes can also more easily meet various operational demands, with more scalability and flexibility than alternative gas separation technologies.

 

Some of the main current applications for gas separation membranes include hydrogen recovery and natural gas processing, while emerging applications such as biogas upgrading and post-combustion carbon capture are seeing the potential for significant growth, with medium to high opportunities for new membrane materials, respectively.

 

 

Carbon capture technologies are on the rise as an innovative way to remove carbon dioxide, either from the atmosphere or from the source of emissions, with developments expected to grow over the next decade in line with growing governmental incentives. When carbon-based fuels undergo combustion, gas separation membranes are one of many technologies being developed to separate out certain gases to prevent their release into the atmosphere. CCUS technologies are the target of many government subsidies, which are needed to feasibly introduce CCUS into current markets to reach decarbonization goals.

 

The concept of carbon pricing is also discussed within IDTechEx's report, "Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) Markets 2026-2036: Technologies, Market Forecasts, and Players", whereby taxes on carbon emissions will ideally make it more costly to emit carbon dioxide than to capture and store it. This is another initiative in place to target the reduction of emissions by disincentivizing companies to emit CO₂ without measures in place to contain it. IDTechEx reports that in 2024, 54 million tonnes of CO₂ was captured at point-source, with 1024 million tonnes named as the goal to be achieved by 2030 in order to stay on track for the IEA's Net Zero Emissions 2050 Scenario.

 

The main current focuses of CCUS technologies within the market as a whole include removing existing CO₂ from the atmosphere, targeting hard-to-decarbonize sectors including cement and steel industries, and allowing for sustainable sectors including blue hydrogen and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) to flourish.

 

 

As IDTechEx reports that one fifth of global CO₂ emissions stems from transportation, the implementation of electric vehicles cannot abate the emissions still being produced from the many internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles still on the road. Other vehicle types including planes and ships are also large contributors, which are likely to be much more difficult to electrify.

 

Biofuels can provide a solution to working with existing ICE transportation without the need for drastic structural changes. IDTechEx's report, "Sustainable Biofuels & E-Fuels Market 2026-2036: Technologies, Players, Forecasts", highlights the different sustainable fuels that can be suitable for various transportation types, including bioethanol, biodiesel, and e-gasoline for road vehicles, e-methanol for ships, and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for planes. These new sustainable alternatives to petrochemical fuels will provide ways to decarbonize the transport industry, while retaining compatibility with existing infrastructures and vehicles.

 

IDTechEx categorize biofuels into conventional and advanced biofuels, splitting them into four generations, spanning from traditional food crop and oil feedstocks, all the way through to genetically engineered microorganisms or captured CO₂. In the middle, labelled the second and third generations, sit lignocellulose and algae, with the goal being to move away from sources that compete with land use and food production, and towards feedstocks that could be beneficial for the environment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. IDTechEx's report, "Next-Generation Feedstocks for Sustainable Chemicals 2025-2035: Markets, Players, Forecasts", dives deeper into this market and the innovations driving the future of sustainable feedstocks.

 

For more information into the latest sustainability trends hoping to decarbonize across multiple sectors and bring lasting change, visit IDTechEx's portfolio of Sustainability Research Reports and Subscriptions.