Direct air capture (DAC) trailblazer Climeworks has inaugurated a new innovation center in Zurich, launching the world’s largest facility dedicated to next-gen DAC solutions.
The novel Direct Air Capture Innovation Center will serve as a testing ground for identifying pathways to reduce the notoriously high costs of DAC technology, aiming to remove this major hindrance that currently stands in the way of global large-scale deployment.
Strategically positioned in Switzerland, a country known for its robust innovation ecosystem and tech talents, the Climeworks Innovation Center unites more than 50 engineers, chemists, and technology specialists into one concentrated DAC elevation hub.
The center builds on 15 years of industry experience and is designed to act as the engine room for Climeworks’ DAC cost-down and scale-up strategy.
As such, the center will work on all key elements of DAC development. This includes shaping next-generation sorbent materials, system optimizations related to improved energy use, modularity and scalability, integrated prototyping through small and mid-scale test facilities, and assessments to ensure DAC durability in different climates and environments.
This approach is expected to shorten the innovation cycles, reduce the deployment risks, and accelerate the pathway to large-scale installations in Climeworks’ global growth pipeline.
By working towards breakthroughs in sorbent performance, energy efficiency, and system design, the DAC innovation center will provide the fundamental infrastructure needed to deliver on Climeworks’ recent achievements, including a tenfold increase in the stability of the sorbent material on a lab scale and a twofold process densification.
Besides this landmark DAC Innovation Center launch, Climeworks is also rolling out a Carbon Removal Exhibition, offering a space for visitors to experience carbon removal firsthand.
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The exhibition connects DAC and other leading carbon removal technologies, highlighting the improvements they introduce for economies and communities around the world.
Climeworks co-CEO Jan Wurzbacher stated,
“The world needs carbon removals at a massive scale—and that means cost reduction is mission-critical. The Climeworks DAC Innovation Center is how we turn our recent breakthroughs into deployable, efficient, and more affordable solutions. Combined with our operating plants in Iceland, this facility positions Climeworks to lead the next phase of global carbon removal.”
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