Carbon capture technologies have been recognized as a potential alternative to alleviate global warming. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is preferred over carbon conversion and utilization (CCU) due to its lower operating costs and higher CO₂ reduction capability. Nevertheless, CO₂ utilization has the potential to be more economical if value‐added products are produced. This highlights the importance of assessing CO₂ utilization routes and alternatives in carbon management. This review paper aims to evaluate the carbon utilization potential of major CO₂‐capturing absorbents including amine, hydroxide, ionic liquid, amino acids and carbonate absorbents. All absorbents show potential application for CO₂ utilization except for ionic liquids (ILs) due to their unclear CO₂ capture mechanisms. Absorbents that require a desorption process for CO₂ utilization include MEA, MDEA, K₂CO₃ and Na₂CO₃ due to their high absorption capacity. Industries have utilized the desorbed CO₂ as chemical feedstocks, enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and mineral carbonation. For hydroxide absorbents and CaCO₃, desorption of CO₂ is unnecessary as the absorbed CO₂ can be directly utilized to produce construction materials. Apart from that, the incorporation of advanced technologies and business models introduced by the fourth industrial revolution are plausible considerations to accelerate the development of carbon capture technologies. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The material characteristics and properties of transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDCs) have gained research interest in various fields, such as electronics, catalytic, and energy storage. In particular, many researchers have been focusing on the applications of TMDCs in dealing with environmental pollution. TMDCs provide a unique opportunity to develop higher-value applications related to environmental matters. This work highlights the applications of TMDCs contributing to pollution reduction in (i) gas sensing technology, (ii) gas adsorption and removal, (iii) wastewater treatment, (iv) fuel cleaning, and (v) carbon dioxide valorization and conversion. Overall, the applications of TMDCs have successfully demonstrated the advantages of contributing to environmental conversation due to their special properties. The challenges and bottlenecks of implementing TMDCs in the actual industry are also highlighted. More efforts need to be devoted to overcoming the hurdles to maximize the potential of TMDCs implementation in the industry.