Abstract: The greenhouse effect caused by the massive emission of CO_2 has become a significant environmental problem in the world today.Coal-fired power plant is a centralized source of CO_2 emissions,which accounts for about 42% of the total emissions. Therefore,efficient capture of CO_2 in the flue gas of coal-fired power plants is imminent. The adsorption technology is considered as the most promising CO_2 capture technology for flue gas,due to simple operation,low energy consumption,easy practical application. In recent years,porous carbon adsorbents have become the current research hotspot of CO_2 capture technology due to the advantages of a wide range of raw materials,strong controllability of physical and chemical properties,and high adaptability of target adsorbates. In this paper,the preparation methods of porous carbons such as physical activation,chemical activation,carbon aerogel and template methods in recent years were reviewed. The effects of preparation methods on pore structure,element doping defects and surface properties of porous carbon were investigated. Besides,the effects of different pore structure,element doping and surface functional group modification on CO_2 adsorption capacity,cycle stability,and CO_2 adsorption selectivity in the flue gas were also described. The problems and critical technologies of porous carbon adsorption in practical application were summarized. The mechanism can be further studied in the future to prepare more efficient porous carbon for CO_2 adsorption.