Leading direct air capture (DAC) developer Climeworks has achieved a major breakthrough with its Gen 3 technology, reducing the energy use by 50% in large-scale tests done at the company’s facility in Muttenz, Switzerland.
This progress was made possible through the adoption of structured adsorbents developed by carbon management solutions company Svante.
By incorporating these novel systems, Climeworks was able to double the amount of captured carbon while cutting in half the energy consumption compared to the parameters of its Gen 2 technology currently implemented in Iceland.
As a specialist in decarbonization systems, Svante developed its structured adsorbents mechanism, aiming to enable accelerated carbon dioxide adsorption and desorption processes with low air resistance—an innovation that contributes to lower energy use and larger CO2 capture capacity.
Svante’s technology also comes with a low-carbon manufacturing footprint, marking a promising step towards a sustainable and scalable DAC supply chain.
Recognizing an opportunity for collaboration, Climeworks decided to incorporate this novelty into its own Gen 3 DAC systems, launching a trial that ran from May 2024 to January 2025.
Throughout the testing period, the Gen 3 DAC tech consistently performed within ±5% of predictions, completing more than 1,300 operating cycles in different weather environments that varied between high humidity and sub-freezing conditions.
This full-scale DAC testing in real-world conditions represents a vital step in validating the system’s performance and endurance before it can be deployed on a larger level.
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Jan Wurzbacher, co-CEO of Climeworks, commented, “You can’t overstate the importance of rigorous testing before building. With this proof in hand, we can confidently say that our Gen 3 tech is engineered for real-world conditions and real-world impact.”
For Climeworks, this advancement comes at a time when the company is trying to navigate through an uncertain carbon removal landscape.
As a coping strategy, the company has announced plans for reducing its team, and earlier this year, it fortified its leadership by appointing Helin Cox as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
Read more: Climeworks Planning Team Cuts Amid Growing Sector Uncertainties
