The diagram above shows, based on the laws of thermodynamics, the minimum energy to remove CO2 from ambient air (Direct air capture). Removal requires about 3 times as much energy as the energy gained by burning coal and more than twice as much as from burning natural gas. That is primarily because the CO2 is so dilute in the atmosphere. For net CO2 removal with DAC, cheap energy (solar and wind, perhaps also small modular nuclear) is needed.
However, the diagram above assumes energy use for fans to speed up air circulation across a catalyst that captures CO2 (there are many possible catalysts.) Is also assumes that heat is later used to separate the CO2 from the catalyst, so that the capture process can begin anew and so that the purified CO2 can be pumped to its final resting place (or another use).
Moreover, it concentrates on heat-based approaches. Other approaches - including electric charge, pH change, humidity, and phase change - are gaining traction in the 2020s. See diagram a little further down the page. These approaches are generally less energy intensive.
Occidental Gets Record Carbon-Removal Deal with Mega-Buyer Microsoft 0724.rtf
Carbon Removal’s Holy Grail Cost Cut Is Further Away than It Seems 0624.rtf
Swiss Geo-Engineering Start-Up Targets Methane Removal 0624.rtf
How New ‘World’s Largest’ Vacuum to Suck CO2 from the Air Works 0524.rtf
Can We Engineer Our Way Out of the Climate Crisis with Carbon Capture? 0324.rtf
Startup Is Building a Plant to Zap Seawater, Grab CO2, and Produce Hydrogen - 0224.rtf
A New Carbon Removal Startup Is Powered by Sunlight and Seawater 0224.rtf
Will Direct Air Capture Ever Be Affordable? The Rise of DAC 3.0 - 0224.rtf
Amazon Bets Big on Oil Giant Occidental’s Carbon Removal Project 0923.rtf
How an Oil Giant Took Control of Biden's Billion-Dollar Bet on Carbon Capture 0823.rtf
Can Vacuums Slow Global Warming? Administration Bets $1.2 Billion on It. 0823.rtf - Much more progress on capture from high-density CO2 streams (100% at ethanol plants, ~15% at industrial plants, than 0.042% in ordinary air
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What’s Needed to Reach Net-Zero This Century - IEA 0423.rtf
Carbon-Sucking Tech Could Need More Energy than All Homes Use 0323.rtf
How to Suck Up CO2, Turn It into Baking Soda, and Store It in the Oceans 0323.rtf
Carbon Removal Is Where Green Investment Should Go 0123.rtf
Competition Heats Up for U.S. Direct Air Capture Program 0123.rtf
CO2 Removal Efforts Seen Far behind What Is Needed 0123.rtf
New York Landlords Try Carbon-Sucking Towers to Comply with Climate Law 0123.rtf
Nasdaq Targets Boom in Market for Carbon Removal in Coming Years 1022.rtf
Why the $100 per Ton Target for Carbon Removal May Be ‘Pure Fantasy' 1022.rtf
Audi and Krajete Filter CO2 Out of the Air 1022.rtf
3 Big Direct Carbon Capture Deals to Know 1022.rtf
Calpine & Blue Planet Transform Captured Carbon into High-Grade Limestone 0922.rtf
New Law Helps U.S. Firm Launch Wyoming Direct Air Carbon Capture Project 0922.rtf
What the Inflation Reduction Act Means for Direct Air Capture 0822.rtf
The Chips Act Has a CO2 Removal Easter Egg 0822.rtf - $1 billion for carbon removal research
Climeworks Predicts CO2 Removal Cost Drop to Below $250 : Tonne by 2030 - 0722.rtf
Startup That Sucks CO2 from the Air Is Building a Big Plant in Iceland 0622.rtf
Can Carbon Capture Be Part of the Climate Solution? 0622.rtf
Carbon-Removal Industry Draws Billions to Fight Climate Change 0622.rtf
U.S. Steel Backs Snatching CO2 from the Air and Storing It in Concrete 0622.rtf
Fastest CO2 Catcher Heralds New Age for Direct Air Capture 0522.rtf
Microsoft, Salesforce Add $300 Million to Carbon Removal’s Growing Cash Pile 0522.rtf
Whitehouse, Coons Introduce Act to Accelerate CO2 Removal 0522.rtf
Tonko, Peters Introduce CO2 Removal Legislation 0422.rtf
Musk and Google Add to $2 Billion Boost for Carbon Removal 0522.rtf
There Has Never Been a Better Time to Start a Carbon Removal Company 0422.rtf
We Need a Massive Carbon Removal Industry. What Will It Take to Scale It Up? 0422.rtf
A Scalable Direct Air Capture Process Based on Weathering Calcium Hydroxide 0322.rtf - Heirloom explains its process. Several pages, with chemical equations.
Climeworks Raises $650 Million in Largest Round for Carbon Removal Startup 0422.rtf - overview of DAC methods, EF. Heirloom is projected to hit $50 / ton for carbon removal by 2035. It gets rid of the other ~1/2 of energy use: moving air past the catalyst. Use natural air circulation (slower) instead of fans.
Carbon-Capture Startup Using Dirt Cheap Material Raises $53 Million 0322.rtf - Limestone to calcium oxide and back
Fuel Cells and Game-Changing Tech to Remove 99% of CO2 from Air 0222.rtf
Bill Gates Invests in Carbon Capture Startup After Tech Breakthrough 0222.rtf
The Market & Policy Landscape for Advancing Direct Air Capture – Who Pays? 0122.rtf
As Carbon Emissions Rise Unabated, Scientists Eye a Methane Removal Fix 1121.rtf
“Urban Sequoia” Technology Could Turn Buildings into Climate-Fighting Tools 1121.rtf - Stack or chimney effect draws air
To Slow Global Warming, Some Researchers Want to Pull Methane Out of the Air 1121.rtf
The Dream of Carbon Air Capture Edges Toward Reality 0821.rtf - Movement has begun from $500-600 per ton of CO2 removed to $94-232. Discussion of the industry.
Direct Air Capture Carbon Removal Technology Reaches Early Milestone 0921.rtf
These ‘Super-Trees’ Are Engineered to Capture More Carbon 0621.rtf
Direct Air Capture of CO2 Is Suddenly a Carbon Offset Option 0321.rtf
Microsoft Climate Fund Backs Climeworks Effort to Suck Up Carbon 0121.rtf
OpenAir’s R&D Roundup – Violet and Cyan Home CO2 Removal Projects 0121.rtf
Chevron Invests in Carbon Capture and Utilization Startup Blue Planet 0121.rtf - store CO2 in calcium carbonate aggregate for concrete
Will Machines That Scrub CO2 from the Air Halt Climate Change? 0121.rtf - brief overview: Climeworks, Carbon Engineering
Businesses Aim to Pull Greenhouse Gases from the Air 0121.rtf - many companies. Mostly about CCS and DAC.
Researchers Unveil New Method for Converting CO2 into Jet Fuel 1220.rtf
Mining the Sky for CO2 with Metal Trees, Towers and Pumps 0121.rtf
Climeworks to Build World’s Biggest Climate-Positive Direct Air Capture Plant 0920.rtf
Removing CO2 Could Spark Big Rise in Food Prices 0820.rtf - Liquid sorbent DAC systems require lots of water and heat. However, solid sorbent systems require no fresh water (or burning natural gas). So, lack of water to grow food probably will not be exacerbated by DAC - using solid sorbents.
Swiss Carbon Capture Startup Raises $76 Million in Funding Round 0620.rtf
Guide to Negative Emissions Technologies - Focus on Direct Air Capture 0320.rtf
New Industry Develops around Sucking CO2 Out of the Atmosphere 1219.rtf
Why Carbon Capture Hasn’t Saved Us from Climate Change Yet 1019.rtf
MIT Engineers Develop a New Way to Remove CO2 from Air 1019.rtf
Reverse Engineering the Climate Crisis Is Not Only Possible—It's Necessary 1019.rtf
The Future of Carbon Capture - Old Idea to Fight Climate Change Gets New Look 1019.rtf
Carbon Engineering to Double Capacity at Its Direct Air Capture Plant 0919.rtf
Pulling CO2 Out of the Air and Using It Could Be a Trillion-Dollar Business 0919.rtf
Powerful ‘Mechanical Trees’ Can Remove CO2 from Air at Scale 0419.rtf
CO2 Solutions Commissions Its 1st Commercial Carbon Capture Unit 0419.rtf
CO2 Removal Factories Slowly Gain Ground 0419.rtf
Billionaires Back Carbon Engineering to Build 1st ‘Negative Emissions’ Plant 0319.rtf - take 1
New Facility Aims to Capture 40 Million Trees’ Worth of CO2 Every Year 0319.rtf - take 2
BHP Invests US$6 Million in Emissions Reduction Company, Carbon Engineering 0319.rtf - take 3
One Man’s 2-Decade Quest to Suck Greenhouse Gas Out of the Sky 0219.rtf
Oil Industry Makes Landmark Investment in CO2 Air Capture 0119.rtf
How One Company Pulls Carbon from the Air, to Avert Climate Catastrophe 1218.rtf
Can 12 Billion Tonnes of Carbon Be Sucked from the Air? 1118.rtf
Could Oil Nation Norway Help Save the Climate? 1018.rtf
This Gel Grows and Heals by Gobbling Carbon from the Air 1018.rtf
Could Carbon-Capture Technology Be a Silver Bullet to Stop Climate Change? 1018.rtf
Carbon Removal Firms See Opportunity in U.N. Climate Report 1018.rtf
Climeworks Opens a 3rd Plant Capturing CO2 from the Air 1018.rtf
Huge Fans, Burning Biomass May Help Store Carbon for Climate Fight 0918.rtf
Moniz Group Launches ‘Substantial' CO2 Air Capture Project 0918.rtf
Sucking Carbon from Air, Swiss Firm Wins New Funds for Climate Fix 0818.rtf
Pioneers of CO2 Removal See Boon for Renewables 0418.rtf
Saving the World with CO2 Removal 0118.rtf
Can CO2 Removal Save the World? 1117.rtf
World’s 1st “Negative Emission” Plant Will Turn CO2 to Stone 1017.rtf
Carbon-Sucking Technology Needed by 2030s, Scientists Warn 1017.rtf
Healthy Climate News – 7 Technologies That Could Scale 0317.rtf - 3 are Direct Air Capture.
It’s Time to Start Talking about “Negative” CO2 Emissions 0817.rtf
Swiss Firm Climeworks Starts Sucking CO2 from the Air, to Fight Climate Change 0617.rtf
Focus on Carbon Removal a ‘High-Stakes Gamble’ 0517.rtf
A Cheaper Way to Pull CO2 from the Air, Turn It into Crystals 0117.rtf - Guanidine, lower temp outgassing than amines.
Report from Global Thermostat Tour 1216.rtf - Blow air thru 6-inch cubes. They use amines in ceramic honeycomb to capture CO2, heat to 80°C to release it for disposal. Capture 1 ton of CO2 / year. $70 / ton now, projected fall to $20 / ton. [Use billions of such cubes.]
Trapping Carbon Works, but High Cost to Limit Its Use to Essential Processes 1116.rtf
Could Mutant Plants Save Us from Global Warming? 1116.rtf
Scientists Accidentally Discover Efficient Process to Turn CO2 Into Ethanol 1016.rtf
Artificial Leaf Turns CO2 Emissions Into Fuel 0816.rtf
Why CO2 'Air Capture' Could Be Key to Slowing Global Warming 0516.rtf
Can Pulling Carbon from Air Make a Difference on Climate? 1215.rtf
Is the 2°C World a Fantasy? 1115.rtf
Could Diesel Made from Air Help Tackle Climate Change? 0915.rtf
Nanoscale Carbon Capture Strategy Pays Off 0815.rtf
Startups Have Learned to Remove Carbon from the Air. Will Anyone Pay Them? 0715.rtf
Pragmatic Ways to Capture Carbon from Ambient Air & Smokestacks 0615.rtf
Does Air Capture Constitute a Viable Backstop Against a Bad CO2 Trip? 1213.rtf
Carbon Capture and Renewable Energy Generation by Pyrolysis 0913.rtf
Carbon Capture from Air Needed to Fight Climate Change 0813.rtf
Chemical Plant Would Turn Emissions into Useful Products 0813.rtf
Way to Remove CO2 from the Air 0613.rtf
US Lab Removes CO2 from Air at Low Cost 0513.rtf
Suck Carbon Emissions Right Out of the Air 0413.rtf
Scrubbing CO2 from Air for Centuries 0710.rtf
Pulling CO2 Out of Thin Air 0113.rtf
New Holey Material Soaks Up CO2 0612.rtf
Cheap Material Can Scrub CO2 from Air 0112.rtf
The tax credit awarded companies for CO2 captured and durably stored was raised from $50 to $180 per tonne. For CO2 captured and utilized (concrete, carbonation, oil extraction, etc.), the increase was from $35 to $130 per tonne. Minimum capture to claim the credits is reduced to 1000 tonnes / year. Smaller projects can receive direct pay for the full value of the credits for the projects 1st 5 years. Also, the deadline to build eligibale facilities ws extended 7 years. The Act also provides $2.15 billion for low-carbon buildings and use of low-carbon materials. This benefits companies such as CarbonCure and CarbonBuilt,which incorporate captured CO2 into building materials.
Verdox has a process thata uses electric charge changes instead of heat to separate captured CO2 from the catalyst and regenerate the catalyst sorbent or solvent. Using electric charge changes gets rid of ~ 1/2 of energy use. $40-80 / ton by 2035?
Direct Air Capture Carbon Removal Technology Reaches Early Milestone 0921.rtf - Climeworks’ Orca plant opens.
Sequestering Carbon in Rocks - Lackner 2002.pdf - 42 pp
from Abstract: "Sequestration of waste carbon dioxide will require methods that can safely store several trillion tons of carbon dioxide. Long-term storage of a gaseous substance is fraught with uncertainty and hazards, but carbonate chemistry offers permanent solutions to the disposal problem. Carbonates can be formed from carbon dioxide and metal oxides in reactions that are thermodynamically favored and exothermic, which result in materials that can be safely and permanently kept out of the active carbon stocks in the environment. Carbonate sequestration methods require the development of an extractive minerals industry that provides the base ions for neutralizing carbonic acid."
Among many topics addressed are alkalinity, magnesium carbonates, molten salts, serpentine and olivine.
1st US Commercial Carbon Sequestration Plant Leaks 1024.rtf
How the Cement Industry Is Creating Carbon-Negative Building Materials 0924.rtf
Pipeline Won’t Capture All Carbon Emitted by Ethanol Plants 0924.rtf
US Carbon Capture Needs Enough Pipelines to Circle Earth 4 Times 0324.rtf
Summit Carbon Solutions Wants to Add 340 Miles of CO2 Pipeline in Iowa 0324.rtf
The Midwest Is Ground Zero for the Fight Over Carbon Capture Pipelines 0823.rtf
Exxon to Buy Denbury for $4.9 Billion, in CO2 Pipeline Push 0723.rtf
Low-Carbon Concrete Could Bring a ‘Radical Change’ to the Industry 0523.rtf
Frontier Carbon Removal Fund Just Inked a $53 Million Deal 0523.rtf
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EU’s Green Plan Will Force Oil Majors to Store CO2 Underground 0323.rtf
How to Suck Up CO2, Turn It into Baking Soda, and Store It in the Oceans 0323.rtf
Denmark Hopes to Pump Some Climate Gas beneath the Sea Floor 0323.rtf
Colorado Ponders Storing Carbon in Defunct Oil and Gas Wells 0223.rtf
A Blue State Asks - Is Carbon Capture Part of Climate Agenda? 0223.rtf
Can Clay Capture CO2? 0223.rtf
Concrete Traps CO2 Soaked from Air in Climate-Friendly Test 0223.rtf
Carbon Negative Building Materials 0223.rtf
This Startup Captures CO2 by Injecting It Straight into Volcanic Rock 0123.rtf
Calpine & Blue Planet Transform Captured Carbon into High-Grade Limestone 0922.rtf
Companies Can Soon Start Paying the Bahamas to Store Carbon in the Ocean 0522.rtf
Chevron Joins Project to Store Carbon Emissions Off Texas Coast 0522.rtf
Let's Bury Our CO2. What Could Possibly Go Wrong? 0522.rtf
The Most Popular Material on Earth Is Great for Storing CO2 - 0821.rtf
Pumping CO2 Deep Under the Sea Could Help Korea Hit Net Zero 0521.rtf
Praise for Basalt Potential - In Situ Mineral Carbonation 0321.rtf
Surprising Carbon Sink - Cement Absorbs, Stores CO2 - 1116.rtf
Section Map: Reversing Climate Change