Current progress in oxygen capture via elimination or separation: A review

Oxygen serves as both a vital industrial resource and a detrimental impurity causing corrosion, catalyst poisoning, and product degradation. This review critically evaluates current technologies for oxygen capture, separation, and elimination across operational scales, distinguishing between reversible separation for production and irreversible elimination for purification. Small-scale strategies (100 m3/h) include solid getters, ceramic oxygen transport membranes, and active food scavengers, while large-scale processes (100 m3/h) encompass catalytic combustion, solid sorbents, membrane separation, pressure swing adsorption (PSA), and cryogenic distillation. Each technology is benchmarked against purity thresholds, energy consumption, scalability, and economic feasibility. Persistent challenges include material degradation under harsh conditions, insufficient long-term stability validation, and fragmented performance reporting. Future research must prioritize hybrid separation architectures, advanced porous materials, standardized testing protocols, and lifecycle assessments. This review provides a decision-oriented framework to guide the development of next-generation, sustainable oxygen management systems for industrial, medical, and environmental applications.