Promises

• Direct Air CO₂ Capture and Storage (DACCS) is a technology that uses chemical processes to capture and separate CO₂ directly from ambient air. The CO₂ is then stored underground in geological reservoirs, which removes the CO₂ for more than 1000 years.
• DACCS has the potential to remove 5–40 giga tons CO₂ per year, potentially the largest of any form of CO₂ removal technology, at an estimated cost of $US 100–300 per ton of CO₂.

Opportunities

The most representative example of CDR applications comes from the Swiss start-up Climeworks. Their technology utilises large fans to pull in ambient air through filters that capture CO₂ molecules. Once captured, the CO₂ is mineralised by injecting it deep underground into basaltic rock formations. This way the CO₂ is securely stored, significantly reducing atmospheric CO₂ levels, all while utilising renewable energy or waste heat as energy sources for the capture process. The Climework Carbon Capture plant ORCA (in Iceland) started operating at the end of 2021 and targets to capture 4.000 tons of CO₂ per year.