In the face of escalating carbon dioxide emissions, technological interventions are increasingly sought to counteract this trend. Direct Air Capture (DAC) stands as a notable solution, attracting considerable attention whilst simultaneously provoking skepticism
Within the realm of CO2 capture and removal technologies, DAC (Direct Air Capture) is emerging as a front-runner. The critical question remains: can it effectively mitigate the continuously rising volumes of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere? The Global Carbon Budget report from Exeter University forecasts a 1.1% increase in fossil CO2 emissions from 2022, culminating in a staggering 36.8 billion tonnes.
Consequently, there is an urgent imperative to significantly curtail these burgeoning figures, which are exacerbating the climate crisis and global warming
The International Energy Agency (IEA) underscores that, to keep the temperature increase below 1.5°C, or to minimise overshooting this threshold, robust strategies are imperative:
“Carbon capture and storage, alongside atmospheric carbon dioxide removal, are indispensable in mitigating and neutralising stubborn residual emissions. By 2030, initiatives capable of capturing around 1.2 Gt of CO2 are required, a significant leap from the current projection of approximately 0.3 Gt for the same year.”
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also highlights the necessity of CO2 capture and removal (CDR) in achieving the ‘net zero’ target by 2050, proposing it as a means for companies to offset residual emissions once all other reduction strategies are maximised.
To this end, confidence and investment in DAC technologies are growing. Market analysis from Statista anticipates a dramatic surge in value, from nearly 24 million dollars in 2022 to an estimated 614 million by 2028. The United States is notably active in this sector, with the Department of Energy initiating a 3.5 billion dollar programme to foster direct air capture of carbon emissions. Research and development are thriving worldwide, with a notable addition being an innovative Italian startup founded in 2022. This enterprise recently secured a pre-seed investment exceeding 1.7 million euros to advance its five-year business strategy and partake in the “Business Creation” programme offered by PoliHub, affiliated with the National Pole for Sustainability Technology Transfer.
TAKEAWAYS
Technologies for CO2 Capture and Removal: Unraveling How DAC Operates
In the landscape of CO2 capture and removal technologies, DAC’s principle involves extracting carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere at any given location, as opposed to the site-specific approach of conventional carbon capture technologies, as elucidated by the IEA. A DAC system operates thus: it draws in air and isolates CO2 molecules using a specialised filter within a controlled setting for storage. The air, now depleted of CO2, is then released back into the environment. The extracted carbon dioxide can be permanently stored in geological formations or repurposed for various applications. DAC is not a monolithic technology but encompasses diverse methodologies.
The International Energy Agency’s report notes that, as of 2022, 27 plants have been established globally, capturing nearly 0.01 Mt of CO2 annually. Proposals for at least 130 DAC facilities are in different developmental stages.
“Should all these projects materialise, including those in planning, DAC’s implementation would meet the required level by 2030 in the Net Zero Emissions by 2050 scenario, equating to about 75 Mt CO2 annually.”
An Italian startup in the field of CO2 Capture
In the field of atmospheric carbon dioxide capture, an Italian startup, CarpeCarbon, has been operational for about a year. As stated on their website:
“CarpeCarbon’s pioneering technology offers a scalable, energy-efficient solution for extracting significant CO2 volumes from the air without impinging on resources vital for the energy transition, whilst also reducing energy costs.“
Their proprietary system is lauded for its high energy efficiency.
“It allows the atmospheric removal of CO2 without the intensive energy demands typical of traditional DAC technologies, thereby diminishing both capture costs and environmental impacts. Extracting CO2 from the atmosphere is not an alternative to emission reductions or a pretext for delaying the transition to clean energy but is essential for achieving net-zero emissions in all future climate scenarios”.
Leading International Entities in Direct Air Capture
Transcending Italian shores, the global stage hosts more advanced companies in Direct Air Capture (DAC), enjoying the support of a spectrum of public and private investors committed to this CO2 capture and removal technology.
DAC has piqued the interest of numerous private entities, extending beyond investment funds to IT behemoths like Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon. The United States stands as the most proactive nation in bolstering the developmental endeavours of firms refining their DAC solutions. In August, the Department of Energy (DoE) pledged investments up to 1.2 billion dollars, fostering the establishment of two commercial-scale DAC facilities in Texas and Louisiana. Once operational, these plants are anticipated to extract over 2 million tonnes of CO2 annually from the atmosphere.
The Cypress project in Louisiana is designed to sequester over 1 million tonnes of CO2 yearly, leveraging geological storage. The initiative is expected to be a significant employment generator, creating upwards of 2,000 jobs. This project utilises technology developed by the Swiss startup Climeworks, which inaugurated the world’s first large-scale CO2 removal plant in 2021 in collaboration with Icelandic firm Carbfix, capturing up to 4,000 tonnes of CO2 annually.
In Texas, oil company Occidental plans to sequester up to 500,000 tonnes of CO2 each year through the STRATOS project. Backed by a 550-million-dollar investment from financial titan BlackRock, the project, managed by Occidental’s subsidiary 1PointFive, explicitly aligns with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C by 2050, through developing DAC hubs and CO₂ sequestration.
Global Thermostat, operational since 2010, specialises in DAC technology. It has devised a patented process utilising fans to channel air through proprietary contactors that capture CO2, later isolated using low-temperature heat. The company unveiled a Colorado facility in spring, capable of capturing over a thousand tonnes of CO2 yearly, qualifying for a tax credit under the Inflation Reduction Act. Nancy Pelosi, the former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, marked her presence at the launch.
CarbonCapture, another key player, designs modular DAC systems. Project Bison in Wyoming, aiming to capture and store five million tonnes of atmospheric CO2 annually by 2030, is under their purview. This project garners support from Alphabet, Shopify, Meta, McKinsey Sustainability, Autodesk, H&M Group, JPMorgan Chase, and Amazon.
Global Scenario of Support for Direct CO2 Capture from the Air
In 2022, the United States, under the Inflation Reduction Act, enhanced the 45Q tax credit for CO2 sequestration and CCUS methodologies to 180 USD/t CO2 captured for storage via DAC, setting the capture threshold at just 1 kt CO2/year.
In advanced UK English, the translation of your text would be:
“The European Commission, as highlighted by the IEA, aims to store up to 50 Mt of CO2 annually by 2030, partly through the integration of this technology. The Commission, in conjunction with the European Investment Bank and Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, has also initiated the EU-Catalyst partnership. This alliance is poised to mobilise approximately 820 million euros between 2022 and 2026. The objective is to expedite the proliferation and commercialisation of cutting-edge, low-carbon emission technologies across Europe, with Direct Air Capture (DAC) being one of the three technologies eligible for funding. This is outlined in a scientific article, which also notes that incorporating Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) into the EU’s Emission Trading System could potentially offer substantial incentives for the advancement of DAC, thereby further catalysing its development and growth.”
The United Kingdom has earmarked about 25 billion dollars for CCUS applications, DAC included. Japan, too, is investing in this technology, with a roadmap to capture between 6 and 12 Mt CO2 annually by 2030, DAC being a component.
Scientific Reservations Regarding DAC and CO2 Removal Technologies
Despite robust investment backing for DAC and CO2 removal technologies, the IEA emphasises addressing DAC’s inherent challenges, notably its high costs:
“Extracting CO2 from the atmosphere is the costliest form of carbon capture. Atmospheric CO2 is significantly more diluted than, say, emissions from power plants or cement factories. This dilution contributes to DAC’s elevated energy demands and costs, compared to other applications.”
Moreover, DAC facilities’ construction spans two to six years, with many announced plants still in nascent stages.
A United Nations UNFCCC panel, however, has raised concerns about DAC and engineering-based removal technologies. In May, they published a document on CO2 removal activities under the Paris Agreement’s 4.6 mechanism. This mechanism delineates three approaches for Parties to cooperatively achieve their national climate action plan goals, one being specifically aimed at mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainable development.
The document cautions that engineering-based removal activities are “technologically and economically unproven at scale, posing unknown environmental and social risks”. It also notes the current insignificance of such activities in removal volumes (0.01 Mt CO2/year) compared to terrestrial activities (2,000 Mt CO2/year), arguing that they “do not contribute to sustainable development” nor “reduce global mitigation costs, thus failing to serve the objectives of the Article 6.4 mechanism.”
Concerns also linger about DAC’s high energy requirements. Howard Herzog, a senior research engineer at the MIT Energy Initiative and a carbon capture pioneer, highlighted the substantial energy demand (about 1200 kilowatt-hours/tonne of CO2) for DAC operations. He also identified three economic accessibility challenges in a MIT Climate portal article.
