RepAir Carbon To Use Fuel Cell Tech For Direct Air Capture

So far in the world of direct air capture (DAC) technologies, one of the major issues has been the lack of energy efficiency due to the immense quantity of heat necessary to remove that captured CO2 emissions. RepAir Carbon thinks it’s found a solution for that.

Digging a bit depper, the issue has actually been found to lie in the way that the CO2 is captured to begin with. Many startups have been focused on developing more efficient filters for their direct air capture systems.

And one firm in particular may have come up with a working solution for the problem.

Relevant: World’s First Commercial Direct Air Capture Plant Launches September 8th

Israel-based RepAir Carbon has adapted the approach used in fuel cell technology and has received a total of $1.5 million in seed funding to advance its existing prototype and potentially scale the technology.

In fact, the company’s ambition is to capture and store greenhouse gas emissions at no less than ‘a gigaton scale’. The added benefits of RepAir Carbon’s tech include and electrochemistry-based modular design that is also less CapEx intensive and significantly lower energy consumption.

At the basis of the new DAC technology is the use of an electrical current and a selective membrane that separates carbon dioxide from the air, and the process consumes as little as only a third of the energy required by existing alternatives. Furthermore, it also relieves the need for large pressure differentials or high temperature.

Co-founder and CEO of RepAir Carbon, Amir Shiner, was keen to acknowledge the fact that DAC technology plays a critical role in mitigating the climate crisis. Yet, he said, today’s systems are far too expensive and energy-intensive, which is a significant hurdle on the way to becoming available at the scale necessary.

This is what RepAir is now determined to solve by optimizing its technology and developing it to the point where it ‘can be deployed in many more settings.’

Another example of fuel cells being used for carbon capture are the eponymous company’s technology which is being developed in partnership with Exxon.