Schlagwort: Direct Air Capture

Peer-reviewed Publications

Kim et al. (2025): Passive direct air capture via evaporative carbonate crystallization

Dongha Kim, Shijie Liu, Tevin Devasagayam, Rui Kai Miao, Jiheon Kim, Hyeon Seok Lee, Yuxuan Gao, Kevin Golovin, Todd Scheidt and David Sinton, IN: Nature Chemical Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1038/s44286-025-00308-5

Direct air capture of CO₂ is needed to mitigate past emissions and those of persistent and difficult-to-abate sources. Current liquid-sorbent-based direct air capture relies on large-scale air handling and coupled sorbent–solid chemical loops, but the complexity and cost of this approach are barriers to scaling. Here the authors report a departure from established capture mechanisms in which ultraconcentrated KOH solutions (>9 M) achieve rapid CO₂-to-carbonate crystallization at the air interface. On the basis of this finding, the authors develop a carbonate crystallizer that leverages evaporation to concentrate KOH on a wicking substrate, enabling the stable, passive capture of atmospheric CO₂ directly into a solid form.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Han et al. (2025): Energy-efficient direct air capture combining an impeller-based scrubber and anion exchange membrane electrolysis

Sunghyeon Han, Jongmin Jin, Hui Song and Jong-In Han, IN: Chemical Engineering Journal, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2025.171186

Direct air capture (DAC) is a technology developed to remove carbon dioxide (CO₂) directly from the atmosphere. One of the most critical barriers to the commercialization of DAC is the high energy consumption. To address this rather fundamental and critical challenge, this study aims to develop an energy-efficient DAC system that integrates an exceptionally capable impeller-based scrubber for CO₂ absorption with a high-performing electrochemical cell for absorbent regeneration. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were employed to optimize the impeller design, and the results were experimentally validated. For the electrochemical cell, a strategy to minimize resistance and energy consumption was proposed. The integration of the impeller-based scrubber with the electrochemical cell enabled stable operation of the continuous process.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Eftekharian et al. (2025): Prediction of CO₂ capture performance of a direct air capture unit under representative atmospheric flow conditions using large eddy simulation

Esmaeel Eftekharian, Ali Kiani, Vassili Kitsios, Ashok K. Luhar, Paul Feron, Aaron W. Thornton, Kathryn M. Emmerson, IN: Carbon Capture Science and Technology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccst.2025.100545

The authors develop a new numerical model that predicts the performance of DAC units under representative atmospheric flow conditions which captures the interaction between these units and the instantaneous flow fields. A new boundary condition for the CO₂ concentration associated with the CO₂-depleted exit plume was developed. This boundary condition dynamically calculates the time-varying fraction of CO₂ removed from the air (capture rate) and the total mass of CO₂ captured by the system per unit time (capture amount). The authors have also conducted experiments in a lab-scale DAC unit at different inlet air velocities.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Jia et al. (2025): Magnetic-Induced Swing Adsorption Using Fe₃O₄/SBA-15-PEI for Rapid and Energy-Efficient Direct Air Capture

Xiaohao Jia, Kyle Newport, Ali A. Rownaghi, Fateme Rezaei, IN: ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5c15078

Direct air capture (DAC) represents a critical negative emission technology for mitigating rising atmospheric CO₂ levels. However, conventional DAC systems relying on temperature swing adsorption (TSA) often suffer from slow heating/cooling rates and high energy consumption. In this work, the authors developed Fe₃O₄/SBA-15-PEI, synthesized via co-precipitation and impregnation, and applied for the first time in magnetic-induced swing adsorption (MISA) under DAC conditions.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Zhai et al. (2025): Long-term electrochemical carbon capture from diverse CO₂ sources with a recirculation mode

Yanjie Zhai, Shanhe Gong, Weisong Li, Qing Xia, Tingting Li, Jianyu Guan, Shao-Yuan Leu, Zhen-Yu Wu, Shu Ping Lau and Xiao Zhang, IN: Nature Communications, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-65332-8

Electrochemical carbon capture offers a sustainable pathway for carbon management, yet current systems are hindered by low concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂), resulting in inefficiencies and limited stability. Here, the authors develop an electrochemical system employing a modular porous solid electrolyte (PSE) reactor for continuous, scalable carbon capture from diverse sources, including ambient air and flue gas, while regenerating high-purity CO₂ (>99%) without additional chemical input through a recirculation mode.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Wang et al. (2025): Mapping innovations in direct air capture: A systematic patent review and literature comparison

Junyao Wang, Runkai Chen, Chao Huang, Zhaoyu Guo, Jian Song, Song He, Yawen Zheng, Shuai Deng, Ying Chen, Yongzhen Wang, Xiangkun Elvis Cao and Shuangjun Li, IN: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2025.116491

Direct air capture (DAC) technologies are gaining increasing attention in both academic and industrial sectors as an essential negative emission technology (NET) in meeting climate change targets. To advance DAC research, this study presents a comprehensive review of DAC technologies from a patent perspective, aiming to understand its current status, future technological trends, and market opportunities. Through two rounds of rigorous screening, 367 patents were finalized and categorized into four sub-technological groups for further analysis: liquid absorption-based DAC, solid adsorption-based DAC, emerging DAC technologies, and DAC integration and application.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Löbner et al. (2025): Direct Air Capture of Carbon Dioxide into MFI Frameworks by Low-Temperature Swing Under Realistic Humidity

Sebastian Löbner, Ashour A. Ahmed, Majid Namayandeh Jorabchi, Alexander Wotzka, Marion Stöhr, Oliver Gröger, Christine Schütz, Marc Rüggeberg, Sebastian Wohlrab, Ali M. Abdel-Mageed, IN: Small, https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202508150

The urgent need to combat global warming inspired the introduction of the concept of carbon dioxide direct air capture (CO₂-DAC), a key strategy for decentralized greenhouse gas removal from air. In this study, a simple approach for CO₂-DAC is introduced, utilizing ZSM-5 and its ion-exchanged analogues to effectively concentrate CO₂ from humid air (80% RH) at 5 °C and enable its recovery at a moderate desorption temperature of 25 °C where in both cases, ambient air served as a sustainable CO₂ source and desorption medium.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Pujol et al. (2025): Prospective life cycle and techno-economic analysis of direct air capture-to-urea production under CBAM

Albert Pujol, Mads Heuckendorff, Thomas H. Pedersen, Mijndert Van der Spek, IN: Journal of Cleaner Production, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.146984

This work investigates the environmental and economic implications of integrating Direct Air Capture (DAC) technologies with the urea fertiliser process under CO₂ pricing policies. The developed framework combines process modelling with prospective life cycle and techno-economic assessments. A cradle-to-grave life cycle analysis (LCA) evaluates the environmental footprint of DAC-urea compared to the conventional fossil-based route. Furthermore, a prospective LCA assesses the environmental impact of DAC-urea in 2050 under different climate scenarios. Different foreground system scenarios based on learning curves are defined. Ultimately, the focus is to investigate the market advantage that might arise given improved environmental performance of DAC-urea under EU’s carbon tax on imported carbon-intensive goods. Denmark and Egypt serve as case studies to demonstrate how policies can incentivise sustainable urea production globally.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Bolongaro et al. (2025): Prospective life cycle assessment of megatonne-scale direct air carbon capture and storage via calcium-looping

Vittoria Bolongaro, David Yang Shu, Noah McQueen, André Bardow, IN: ChemRxiv, https://doi.org/10.26434/chemrxiv-690cdd17a482cba1228796d2

Calcium-looping direct air capture is a mature technology that could contribute to the gigatonne-scale carbon removal industry. However, the environmental impacts and tradeoffs of its large-scale deployment have not been assessed. Here, the authors perform a prospective life cycle assessment of megatonne-scale calcium-looping DACCS systems, demonstrating removal efficiencies exceeding 80% for autonomous systems by 2030, and ranging from 85% to 96% by 2050, depending on the energy system.

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Peer-reviewed Publications

Hu et al. (2025): Direct air capture: recent progress in materials, equipment, and process engineering

Yongxin Hu, Xingyang Li, Teng Zhou, IN: Current Opinion in Chemical Engineering, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coche.2025.101197

The direct air capture (DAC) technology possesses transformative potential for achieving negative emissions. However, challenges such as massive energy consumption, low capture efficiency, and supply chain concerns have impeded their large-scale implementation. Process Systems Engineering (PSE) is expected to address these challenges and bridge existing gaps. This paper first conducts a bibliometric analysis of 1171 DAC-related research papers published between 2015 and 2025. The authors then classify recent representative DAC studies through the lens of PSE.

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