The principles of pressure swing adsorption (PSA) for carbon dioxide capture are reviewed. Previous work on PSA, relevant modeling and experimental investigation for specifically carbon dioxide separation are also presented and significant findings highlighted. Simple rules for PSA process design based on analysis of the inherent properties of adsorbate-adsorbent systems encompassing equilibrium isotherm, adsorption kinetics, shape of breakthrough curves, screening and selection of adsorbent, bed porosity, adsorption time, purge to feed ratio, residence time, pressure equalization and rinse steps are provided to promote better understanding of the technology so that it gains wider acceptance in the future to address the global environmental concern, particularly in the removal of carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.

Mitigation of anthropogenic carbon dioxide is needed in order to allow societies to maintain the existing carbon-based infrastructure, while minimizing the effects of carbon dioxide (CO₂) on the earth eco-system. A system that consists of pressure swing adsorption and in-situ mineralization unit was introduced to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from a 700 MW pulverized coal-fired power plant. Results from the work demonstrate that pressure swing adsorption for post-combustion carbon capture consumed the least energy, followed by biomass co-firing, pre-combustion cryogenic-membrane hybrid, and post-combustion monoethanolamine absorption. For carbon capture and sequestration, the pressure swing adsorption-fixation system was found to yield the lowest environmental burden factor, followed by off-site sequestration in deep sea and depleted underground oil/gas fields.