Bouaboula et al. (2025): Life Cycle Assessment of Electrochemical pH-Swing Direct Air Capture
Houssam Bouaboula, Youssef Belmabkhout, Abdelghafour Zaabout, IN: Energy Conversion and Management, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enconman.2025.120134
Electrochemical pH-swing processes show significant potential as a direct air capture (DAC) technology for decarbonizing hard-to-abate industries and achieving net-negative emissions by mid-century. While several studies have explored its energetic and economic viability, major concerns persist regarding its environmental impact. In this paper, the authors present a quantitative cradle-to-grave life-cycle assessment of this approach and analyze its environmental implications across various stages, from plant construction to end-of-life treatment, under a large-scale CO₂ capture of 1 MtCO₂ per year. To provide a thorough analysis, the authors consider two cradle-to-grave scenarios: (i) CO₂ and H₂ to storage and (ii) CO₂ and H₂ towards methanol synthesis.