Nisbet & van der Made (2025): Direct air capture of CO₂: an industrial perspective
Tim M Nisbet and Alexander W van der Made, IN: Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coche.2025.101190
Direct air capture (DAC) is a crucial carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technology for achieving net-zero emissions by balancing atmospheric CO₂ release with removal. It serves two key roles: (a) when integrated with Carbon Capture and Storage (DAC-CCS), it enables permanent CO₂ removal to offset emissions from hard-to-abate sources like aviation; and (b) when combined with Carbon Capture and Utilization (DAC-CCU), it provides non-fossil CO₂ for producing defossilized fuels and zero-carbon chemicals. To fulfill these roles, DAC systems must be scalable and economically viable. While academic studies often focus on assessing sorbent performance under a limited range of weather conditions and for limited periods, the authors advocate that industrial scale deployment demands DAC systems with additional key features.