Advancements in Direct Air Capture

Expected Outcome

Project results are expected to contribute to the following outcome:

• Accelerating the commercial availability of Direct Air Capture technologies.

Scope

Projects are expected to aim at scaling up existing technical solutions to at least the level of pilot demonstration in relevant environments (TRL 7 or higher).

Projects are expected to demonstrate:

• Improving the cost efficiency of the capture and regeneration process, including Balance of Plant;
• Improving material performance and process designs (e.g. capture/desorption capacity and kinetics, durability, long-term stability in air);
• Potential for manufacturing and scale-up (recycling and reuse of materials);
• Flexible operation under intermittent or surplus renewable energy supply.

Depending on the technology, other important issues to address are:

• Reducing energy use for sorbent/solvent regeneration;
• Alternative materials for - and approaches to - CO2 separation;
• Development and demonstration of materials in particular for DAC systems operating in cold temperatures or under humid conditions, or in areas with severe air pollution;
• Accuracy of simulated predictions compared to validation experiments;
• New designs for efficient, high-flux air contactors, optimised for maximum air contact.

Projects must develop a comprehensive life cycle assessment to evaluate the environmental implications of the entire DAC system, from material extraction and use, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions through to end-of-life.

The use of the European Research Infrastructure for CO2 Capture, Utilisation, Transport and Storage ECCSEL is encouraged but not mandatory.

International cooperation with participating countries of the Mission Innovation Carbon Dioxide Removal Mission[1] is encouraged.

Technology Readiness Level - Technology readiness level expected from completed projects

Activities are expected to achieve TRL 7 by the end of the project - see General Annex B. Activities may start at any TRL.

[1] Carbon Dioxide Removal - Mission Innovation (mission-innovation.net)