Tag: DAC

Peer-reviewed Publications

Van Impe et al. (2025): A global sensitivity analysis for a bipolar membrane electrodialysis capturing carbon dioxide from the air

Jan FM Van Impe, Grégoire Léonard, Satyajeet S Bhonsale, Monika E Polańska, Filip Logist, IN: System & Control Transactions, https://doi.org/10.69997/sct.160159

Bipolar membrane electrodialysis are receiving the attention of the research community in the last years because they can help the electrification and the spread of direct air capture systems. In this work, a mathematical model of a bipolar membrane electrodialysis cell for carbon dioxide recovery is carried out in order to find the most significant parameters on efficiency through a global sensitivity analysis. The electrochemical cell can be integrated into an absorption column capturing carbon dioxide from the air.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Abdalla et al. (2025): Robust amine-grafted porous organic polymer for highly selective carbon dioxide capture from air

Mahmoud Abdalla, Mohamed Essalhi, Mohamed Hammad Elsayed, Amr Sabbah, Mohammed Gamal Mohammed, Isam H. Aljundi, Mahmoud M. Abdelnaby, IN: ACS Applied Polymer Materials, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsapm.5c01431

Direct air capture (DAC) of CO₂ using solid sorbents offers a promising alternative to conventional amine scrubbing due to lower regeneration energy, higher selectivity, and improved stability. In this study, a hydroxyl-rich porous organic polymer (OPTP-8) was synthesized and subsequently functionalized with (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTS) to yield OPTP-8-APTS, a material designed for efficient low-pressure CO₂ capture.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Kim et al. (2025): Near-cryogenic direct air capture using adsorbents

Seo-Yul Kim, Akriti Sarswat, Sunghyun Cho, MinGyu Song, Jinsu Kim, Matthew J. Realff, David S. Sholl and Ryan Lively, IN: Energy & Environmental Science, https://doi.org/10.1039/d5ee01473e

Even with the most potent amine sorbents, large-scale DAC deployment remains limited by high energy and capital costs. Recently, adsorbents relying on weak interactions with CO₂ have emerged as a potential alternative, thanks to their rapid adsorption kinetics and superior long-term stability, particularly under sub-ambient conditions (~253 K). Despite these advantages, their use is hindered by the need for a water-removal process, location-specific constraints, and insufficient working capacity even in cold climates. In this study, the authors hypothesized that further reducing the adsorption temperature to a near-cryogenic range (160–220 K) could enable cost-effective DAC by utilizing the full potential of physisorbents. They primarily consider integrating DAC with a relatively untapped source of cold energy—liquified natural gas (LNG) regasification—to perform near-cryogenic DAC. From large-scale molecular simulations, Zeolite 13X and CALF-20 were identified as promising candidates. These materials were subsequently examined through experiments, including breakthrough analyses at 195 K.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Ranathunga Arachchige (2025): Parameter optimization of the direct air capture (DAC) process to achieve net zero emission targets

Udara Pahalagama Ranathunga Arachchige, IN: Nature Environment & Pollution Technology, https://doi.org/10.46488/

This study emphasizes the optimization of critical process parameters to improve the efficiency of DAC systems while lowering operational costs. Aspen Plus simulations were employed to model the process flow, pinpoint key reaction mechanisms, and evaluate how different operating conditions influence CO₂ capture efficiency. A sensitivity analysis explored the impact of variables such as air contactor parameters, solvent concentration, temperature, pressure, and moisture content on system performance.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Rufer et al. (2025): Carbonate/Hydroxide Separation Boosts CO₂ Absorption Rate and Electrochemical Release Efficiency

Simon Rufer, Tal Joseph, Zara Aamer, Kripa K. Varanasi, IN: ACS Energy Letters, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsenergylett.5c00893

Electrochemical CO₂ capture systems using hydroxide solutions face stiff performance trade-offs, as the hydroxide ions necessary for rapid CO₂ absorption reduce the current efficiency of subsequent electrochemical CO₂ release. In this work, the authors propose a carbonate/hydroxide separation step between CO₂ absorption and release to provide a concentrated carbonate stream for efficient electrochemical release and a separate hydroxide stream for rapid absorption. They combine experiments on CO₂ absorption, nanofiltration separation, and electrochemical release to build a comprehensive model that illustrates system performance trade-offs.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Milani et al. (2025): Integrating solar power, DAC and mineral carbonation to achieve carbon-neutral mining operations

Dia Milani, Haftom Weldekidan, Wilson Gardner, Phillip Fawell, Robbie McDonald, Paul Feron, Michael Rae, Geoff Drewer, Graeme Puxty, Nouman Mirza, Phil Green IN: Cleaner Energy Systems, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clet.2025.100974

The rising demand for critical minerals entails more greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increased generation of tailings and other mining wastes. This study proposes a novel process integrating concentrated solar power (CSP), accelerated mineral carbonation (AMC), and direct air capture (DAC) technologies to reduce such wastes and emissions.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Badger et al. (2025): Life cycle assessment of formic acid synthesis utilizing CO₂ from direct air capture

Nicholas Badger, Dylan Mattice, Matthew Atwood, Shahriar Amini IN: RSC Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1039/D5SU00111K

This study presents a comprehensive cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment (LCA) of formic acid (FA) synthesis from direct air captured (DAC) carbon dioxide (CO2) utilizing chemical plant waste heat. The research focuses on a project to implement a low-temperature solid sorbent DAC system co-located with a FA production facility at a fertilizer plant, utilizing industrial waste heat from nitric acid production. This study employs projected operational data from two companies which own the DAC and FA conversion technologies to examine the environmental impacts and benefits of this DAC-to-FA conversion process.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Cormos (2025): Techno-economic and environmental life cycle analysis of renewable-based combined potassium – calcium looping cycle for direct air CO2 capture

Calin-Cristian Cormos IN: Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.116601

This work evaluates an innovative energy- and cost-efficient potassium – calcium looping cycle as a promising Direct Air CO2 Capture (DAC) technology. The potassium – calcium looping cycle is a reactive system which captures CO2 by a combination of liquid solvent and solid sorbent. The high temperature energy recovery capability of this system makes it very promising for an energy- and cost-efficient CO2 capture. To reduce the environmental impact, various renewable energy sources can be used to cover the required thermal duty, especially, the heat demand of the calcination reactor. The two investigated DAC concepts (fuelled by solar or biomass) are set to capture 1 Mt/y CO2 from air with about 75 % capture rate. The conceptual design, detailed process modelling and validation, followed by overall energy optimization, done by thermal integration analysis, were used to assess the key techno-economic and environmental performance indicators.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Dolat et al. (2025): Superstructure optimisation of direct air capture integrated with synthetic natural gas production

Meshkat Dolat, Kamran Keynejad, Melis S. Duyar, Michael Short IN: Applied Energy, DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2025.125413

This study evaluates two integrated pathways for synthetic natural gas (SNG) production via direct air capture (DAC) and utilisation: Dual-Function Material (DFM) technology and Temperature-Vacuum Swing Adsorption (TVSA) combined with a Sabatier reactor. DFM technology, which combines CO₂ capture and methanation in a single unit, is compared against the more established TVSA-Sabatier process regarding techno-economic feasibility. Superstructure optimisation is employed to assess the performance of these two pathways across various upstream and downstream operating units and to examine the impact of different design factors on economic outcomes.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Neubrand et al. (2025): Activation and Fixation of Atmospheric CO2 through a 1,2,3-Triazole-based Mesoionic Carbene-Borane Adduct

Maren Neubrand, Jessica Stubbe, Richard Rudolf, Robert R. M. Walter, Maite Nößler, Biprajit Sarkar IN: Chemistry A European Journal, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202403942

Capturing atmospheric CO2 and converting it to valuable chemicals are important goals in contemporary science. Here, the authors present a simple, transition metal-free triazolylidene-borane adduct that can capture atmospheric CO2 and convert it to formate. Several key intermediates were isolated and characterized by a combination of multinuclear NMR spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The first closed cycle for the conversion of CO2 to formic acid by using the aforementioned triazolylidene-borane compound is also presented.

LINK

#