Direct air capture of CO2: A response to meet the global climate targets

Abstract

Highlights DAC can help deal with difficult to avoid emissions. Large-scale deployment of DAC requires serious government, private, and corporate support and investment particularly to offset the capital cost as well as operational costs. Further optimizations to the costs can be found in choice of energy source as well as advances in CO2 capture technology such as high capacity and selectivity materials, faster reaction kinetics, and ease of reusability. Abstract Direct air capture (DAC) technologies are receiving increasing attention from the scientific community, commercial enterprises, policymakers and governments. While deep decarbonization of all sectors is required to meet the Paris Agreement target, DAC can help deal with difficult to avoid emissions (aviation, ocean-shipping, iron-steel, cement, mining, plastics, fertilizers, pulp and paper). While large-scale deployment of DAC discussions continues, a closer look to the capital and operational costs, different capture technologies, the choice of energy source, land and water requirements, and other environmental impacts of DAC are reviewed and examined. Cost per ton of CO2 captured discussions of leading industrial DAC developers with their carbon capture technologies are presented, and their detailed cost comparisons are evaluated based on the choice of energy operation together with process energy requirements. Validation of two active plants’ net negative emission contributions after reducing their own carbon footprint is presented. Future directions and recommendations to lower the current capital and operational costs of DAC are given. In view of large-scale deployment of DAC, and the considerations of high capital costs, private investments, government initiatives, net zero commitments of corporations, and support from the oil companies combined will help increase carbon capture capacity by building more DAC plants worldwide. Graphic abstract

Direct air capture from demonstration to commercialization stage: A bibliometric analysis

“…In addition, policymakers can use it as a defense to delay other climate mitigation measures, and as a result, relying on this technology can lead to scapegoat. 47 Contrary to popular belief, many researchers believe that technological advances can dramatically improve DAC technology and reduce investment and operating costs. However, most researchers agree that DAC technologies are among the top future technologies if the commercialization barriers are solved in the near future.…”

“…The use of sorbent, as well as the efficiency of the capture process and the use of refining steps, increases operating costs, so it will be more expensive to capture CO 2 from the air. 47 DAC has limited applications due to high costs and high energy demand. 48 Achieving low-cost and low-carbon resources to meet the DAC process's energy demand is essential to achieving emission reduction goals.…”

Current status and pillars of direct air capture technologies

“…To provide context, the previously named commercial DAC companies have their capture prices listed. Climeworks reports a cost of $600/tCO 2 and Carbon Engineering has a cost between $94/tCO 2 and $232/tCO 2 ( Azarabadi and Lackner, 2019 ; Gambhir and Tavoni, 2019 ; Kusmer, 2020 ; Ozkan, 2021 ; Sutherland, 2019 ). These are widely considered to be high costs, but they are a result of the current status of the technology being relatively new.…”

“…Development of a viable merchant market for captured CO₂ use could certainly drive in more private and federal money toward further development of DAC technology and its deployment. Current markets for CO₂ are oil companies, plastic and concrete industry, beverage industry, and carbon fiber producers ( Ozkan, 2021 ). New pathways to use CO₂ in the production of fuels and building materials can increase the current global market size of CO₂ more than 230 Mt/yr.…”

Life cycle and techno‐economic assessments of direct air capture processes: An integrated review

“…One of the main interests of DAC is that it allows for location-independent sourcing of CO 2 so that it can be located in favorable areas, considering the availability of renewable energy, space, seasonal and geographical variability of temperature, humidity, wind, and air composition, CO 2 valorization option, etc. 12 This also supposes that energy demand (ie, electricity and heat) is met.…”