Abstract—The Post-Combustion Carbon Capture (PCCC) process relies on aqueous amine solutions to chemically absorb CO2 from flue gas, and it has gained rapid acceptance as an effective method for mitigating carbon emissions. However, during this process, the amines and their derivatives escape into the environment. Since the degraded solvents are considered ecotoxic and carcinogenic, they may potentially harm aquatic systems and have broader ecological and health repercussions for humans. To assess the toxicity of various amines and their derivatives, including formamide, acetamide, and Monoethanolamine (MEA), we have conducted ecotoxicity tests on the freshwater unicellular algae Chlorella pyrenoidosa under controlled conditions. The research highlights the significance of both acute and chronic exposure to key biomarkers, revealing essential insights into potential sublethal effects and tolerance levels of each amine solvent. These factors are crucial to algal efficiency and growth, underscoring the importance of sustainable solvent use in carbon capture, utilisation, and storage technologies.
Keywords—amine-based solvents; toxicity; Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS); Chlorella pyrenoidosa; total chlorophyll; algal growth
Cite: Dipesh, N. C. Gupta, Ruchika Tanwar, Anubha Kaushik, and Ekansh Saigal, "Investigating the Impact of Amines on Freshwater Microalgae Relevant for Sustainable Carbon Capture Systems," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 339-347, 2026.
Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).