Direct air
capture (DAC) is much less economical than capturing carbon from combustion or
chemical reaction sources. This is because the CO2 in the atmosphere is very
diluted compared to more concentrated sources from combustion or reaction. DAC
is also more energy-intensive than other methods of capture. In 2024, the
International Energy Agency (IEA) noted:
“Twenty-seven DAC plants have been commissioned to date
worldwide, capturing almost 0.01 Mt CO2/year. Plans for at least large-scale
(> 1000 tonnes CO2 per year) 130 DAC facilities are now at various stages of
development.”
They mention that lead times
for DAC facilities are two to six years. They list some notable projects below.
It should also be mentioned
that the Trump administration may pull billions in potential funding for some
DAC projects, which were expected under the Inflation Reduction Act, as it has
for green hydrogen and other clean energy projects. The funding cuts could be
partial or full. According to a MIT Technology Review article from October
2025, this is creating uncertainty around these projects. They note:
“…the DOE announced it would terminate about $7.5 billion
in grants for more than 200 projects, stating that they "did not
adequately advance the nation’s energy needs, were not economically viable, and
would not provide a positive return on investment of taxpayer dollars."
According to the IEA, as
shown below, the projections are that the amount of CO2 captured in these
projects is expected to grow by around six times in 2030 from 2026 levels, to
around 60Mt, not far behind net zero projections. However, I have found most IEA
projections to be overly optimistic.
“To date, 27 DAC plants have been commissioned in
Europe, North America, Japan and the Middle East. Most of these plants are
small scale, with only a few commercial agreements in place to sell or store
the captured CO2, while the remaining plants are operated for testing and
demonstration purposes. Only three plants are capturing 1 000 tonnes of CO2 per
year or over: Climeworks Orca plant in Iceland, the Global thermostat
headquarters plant in Colorado, and Heirloom’s first large-scale facility in
California.”
They also note that there are
currently two main types of DAC technology: solid and liquid DAC, which are
described below. The graph below shows that the energy needs of solid DAC are
significantly higher than for liquid DAC.
“Two technological approaches are currently used to
capture CO2 from the air: solid and liquid DAC. Solid DAC (S-DAC) is based on
solid adsorbents operating at ambient to low pressure (i.e. under a vacuum) and
medium temperature (80-120 °C). Liquid DAC (L-DAC) relies on an aqueous basic
solution (such as potassium hydroxide), which releases the captured CO2 through
a series of units operating at high temperature (between 300 °C and 900 °C).”
IEA also mentions three
emerging DAC technologies: electro-swing adsorption, zeolites (commonly the
main component used in cat litter), and Passive DAC, which transforms
atmospheric CO2 into carbonates via enhanced weathering. These are described
below.
The most energy-intensive part of DAC is separating the captured CO2 from the capturing media. Other processes, such as compressing air, also require energy. Innovation is still needed to reduce these energy requirements, which is the best way to make the processes more economical.
The IEA lists the following recommendations for DAC.
Business development
professional Ankur Garg posted on LinkedIn an article: The Future of
Direct Air Capture: Where the Technology Is Really Heading, considers what
is likely ahead for DAC. He states six trends that he sees as likely. His
article gives examples of projects and developers in each section.
1) Small,
Distributed, Modular DAC Will Explode First – he thinks these
smaller projects will serve immediate and specific needs for emissions
reduction for food, beverage, and industrial users. Some of these will include
appliance-like modular units.
2) DAC Will
Integrate With Other Systems, Not Stand Alone – these include the
utilization of waste heat and geothermal heat to use for DAC energy and heat
requirements. Integration with indoor farming, with the CO2 aiding plant growth
will also be a trend. Industrial users can also benefit from integrating DAC
systems.
3) Electrification
+ Renewable Energy = The Core Cost Driver – he thinks more DAC
systems will become electrified, especially via renewable energy. He thinks
this will make DAC more scalable and cheaper.
4) CO₂ Will
Become a High-Value Product, Not a Waste Molecule –
he thinks CO2 utilization will grow in the form of sustainable aviation fuel,
construction materials, consumer goods, and beverages (beverages require
high-purity CO2).
5) Big DAC
Will Still Matter, But Will Take Longer Than People Think –
he thinks that, due to land and energy constraints, financing complexity, long
permitting cycles, supply chain challenges, and market uncertainty for
permanent removal credits, bigger projects will be slow to roll out.
6) The
Market Will Split Into Three Clear Segments – he thinks these
segments will be A) Carbon Removal (permanent storage), B) CO₂-as-a-Service
(local supply) – mainly for greenhouses, breweries, labs, foods, and pharma,
and C) Carbon-to-Value (fuels, chemicals, materials).
His future of DAC in one
sentence is:
“DAC is shifting from a “climate cleanup technology” to
a “circular carbon platform” powering new products, new materials, new fuels,
and new industries.”
University of Helsinki Researchers Develop a Novel
Highly-Efficient DAC Method Utilizing a Super-Base and Alcohol
Researchers at the University
of Helsinki in Finland have developed a new method of DAC that utilizes a
superbase combined with alcohol that outperforms other DAC methods. It is
described in more detail in the snippet below from Chemical Today.
The next steps for this new
technology include moving it from lab-scale to demonstration-scale. The liquid
capture media is expected to be converted into solids by binding it to silica
or graphene oxide, which is expected to further improve the system.
An article in The Register
provides more information, including quotes from the researchers.
"An ideal absorbent should strongly bind CO₂ during
capture yet enable its release with minimal energy input," the team said,
and the TBN-BA compound, among a number they tested, seems to fit the bill, as
it needs just 30 minutes of exposure to 70°C (158°F) air to release its CO₂.
"After the first cycle, the absorption capacity
decreased by about 25%, so we estimate that approximately 75% of the CO₂ was
recovered," Eshaghi Gorji told The Register in an email. "After the
second cycle, however, almost all CO₂ is removed."
“TBN-BA is also non-toxic, according to the researchers,
and the material isn't expensive to produce, either.”
“According to the University of Helsinki, the team is
now working toward "near-industrial scale" tests. Those will require
that a solid version of the TBN-BA compound be produced, however, which Eshaghi
Gorji told us is still a work in progress.”
"Developing a commercial product requires
significant time, funding, and effort. We are working toward this goal,
particularly with solid sorbents, but it is difficult to estimate a timeline."
References:
New
carbon capture tech could save us from datacenter doom. Brandon Vigliarolo. The
Register. January 7, 2026. New
carbon capture tech could save us from datacenter doom
University
of Helsinki Develops Breakthrough Method to Capture CO2 from Air. Chemical
Today. December 30, 2025. Chemical
Today Magazine - Connecting World Chemically
The
Future of Direct Air Capture: Where the Technology Is Really Heading. Ankur
Garg. LinkedIn. December 29, 2025. (26)
The Future of Direct Air Capture: Where the Technology Is Really Heading |
LinkedIn
Direct
Air Capture. International Energy Agency. Last updated April 25, 2024. Direct
Air Capture - Energy System - IEA
The
Trump administration may cut funding for two major direct-air-capture plants: At
least tens of millions of dollars are on the line for big carbon removal
projects in Louisiana and Texas. James Temple. MIT Technology Review. October
7, 2025. The
Trump administration may cut funding for two major direct-air capture plants |
MIT Technology Review
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