Keroglou & Ciez (2026): Process-based lifecycle climate, energy, water and material constraints of solid adsorbent production for gigaton-scale direct air capture
Ioannis Keroglou and Rebecca Ciez, IN: Energy & Environmental Science, https://doi.org/10.1039/D6EE03173K
Negative emissions technologies like direct air capture are critical for achieving global decarbonization targets. Sorbent materials are central to direct air capture systems, with solid adsorbents requiring lower regeneration temperatures and avoiding the evaporative losses of liquid sorbents. As use-phase emissions decline due to technological advances and the use of low-carbon power sources, sorbent manufacturing impacts become increasingly important. Prior studies of sorbent manufacturing rely on oversimplified life cycle inventories and proxy data, resulting in substantial uncertainty. Here, the authors apply a process-based model to develop sorbent-specific inventories for scaling the production of polyethyleneimine-based solid adsorbents and evaluate their cradle-to-gate climate change, fossil resource scarcity, and water use impacts in the United States.