Energy

Direct air capture of CO₂ below $100 / ton

Ultimately, direct air capture (DAC) will cost less than $100 per tonne of CO₂ captured. This is based on both projections from several exciting startups (including Carbon Capture), and analysis done by the National Academy of Science and Medicine (NASEM) on the current cost of negative-emissions technologies:

Carbon Removal Cost

If fossil-based enerygy resources are used to provide the energy requirements of a direct air capture system, then an accurate estimate of the cost to removing CO₂ from the air requires consideration of the net CO₂ removed because burning fossil fuels produces CO₂. On average, the costs for net CO₂ removed for the solid sorbent-based approach range from $89 to $877/tCO₂, depending on the adsorption scenario, while the costs range for the solvent-based approach range from $156 to $506/tCO₂, depending on the use of natural gas or renewable H₂ for the thermal source.

Source: National Academy of Science and Medicine, 2019

At this cost of capture, the economics of power-to-fuels and other products from CO₂ improve significantly.

Photo by Jessie Jess

For those looking to learn more about the main DAC technologies and market drivers, check out our thought paper and webinar on Carbon Capture.

For the full NASEM analysis of Direct Air Capture technologies, see Chapter 5 of their 2019 report on Negative Emissions Technologies.