The US Department of Energy (DOE) has released a comprehensive analysis on direct air capture (DAC), compiling a list of the companies currently active in this decarbonization sector.
The report, authored by Grant Faber, aims to clear uncertainties related to DAC technologies and provide key information on this industry that could prove vital in addressing residual atmospheric CO2 emissions in the fight against climate change.
DAC is defined as a technology that regenerates a carbon capture medium in a closed loop and/or uses a mechanical air contactor to chemically or physically separate CO2 directly from the outdoor or indoor ambient atmosphere without reliance on above-average CO2 concentrations caused by nearby point sources of emissions.
In line with this definition, DAC is classified as either CO2 -concentrating (producing more concentrated streams of CO2), reactive (regenerating a capture medium that simultaneously captures and converts atmospheric CO2) or direct storage DAC (uses mechanical air contactors to extract atmospheric CO2 and react it with various feedstocks for durable storage).
On a global level, there are approximately 142 incorporated companies working on DAC. 81 DAC developers are based in North America, while the other companies are clustered in Western Europe.
Category wise, 121 of these companies are working on CO2 -concentrating DAC, 13 focus on reactive DAC, and 8 specialize in direct storage DAC.
In regard to technology, nearly two-thirds of the companies have a solid sorbent capture approach, while about one quarter of the companies utilize a liquid solvent medium. The rest of the companies employ novel CO2 capture media like membranes and cryogenic separation.
Relevant: New Study Looks Into The Role Of DAC Technology In Sustainable Aviation
To regenerate their capture media, most of the DAC companies use a combination of changes in temperature, vacuum, and electrochemical conditions. The ones who don’t utilize this approach resort to novel methods that rely on moisture, chemical conditions, and plasma.
The analysis shows that the DAC market currently hosts several subsets of companies that are advancing other notable material choices, co-products, and process designs.
Looking ahead, in order to minimize technology-specific risks, the report calls for the adoption of a diversified portfolio of DAC mechanisms, a vision that can be unlocked with further research, development, and demonstration support.
Read more: DOE Launches Application Process For Its $1.8 Billion DAC Funding
