Berlin-based carbon infrastructure firm Ucaneo has officially inaugurated Germany’s largest Direct Air Capture (DAC) plant in Berlin-Marzahn.
The milestone deployment marks a critical transition from pilot-stage testing to industrial validation for the company, establishing a local source of sustainable, atmospheric carbon designed for both permanent geological storage and near-term utilization as a green industrial feedstock.
The new Berlin-Marzahn installation is engineered to remove 150 metric tons of CO2 directly from ambient air annually, making it one of the largest operational electrochemical DAC facilities in the world.
Crucially, the system bypasses the core limitation of first-generation DAC architectures: extreme heat requirements. By utilizing a fully electrified, electrochemical process that requires zero thermal energy, Ucaneo can run its capture loops flexibly alongside fluctuating renewable power generation and grid pricing, outputting gas at an ultra-high chemical purity of over 99.9%.
The Blueprint for Germany’s First Permanent Carbon Removal Project
The facility serves as the foundational blueprint for Ucaneo’s upcoming commercial scaling phase. A second plant, designed with roughly ten times the capacity of the Marzahn installation, is already deep in the engineering pipeline, with construction slated to begin in 2027.
Beyond regional industrial development, the launch carries immense international weight. A portion of the captured CO2 from the site will be directed into permanent deep geological sequestration, securing its status as the first verified Direct Air Capture and Storage (DACS) project in Germany.
The milestone makes Ucaneo only the fifth company globally to permanently sequester atmospheric carbon via DAC, positioning the startup among the world’s elite group of high-durability Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) providers.
Relevant: Siemens To Help Ucaneo Optimize Operations At Its DAC Plants
The strategy targets an impending shift in industrial input dynamics. As European manufacturers face tightening net-zero mandates, the demand for carbon molecules to produce sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), chemicals, and consumer plastics is skyrocketing, even as fossil fuel extraction winds down.
According to Florian Tiller, Co-Founder and CEO of Ucaneo, the long-term goal isn’t eliminating carbon entirely, but completely restructuring how it is sourced. By undercutting legacy, energy-intensive thermal systems with a low-cost, modular electrochemical process, Ucaneo is setting the stage to become a key infrastructure provider for Europe’s next-generation circular economy.
Read more: Deep Sky Delivers The First Certified North American DAC Credits
