New battery-like device captures carbon dioxide from air more efficiently

A research team has developed a new device for capturing carbon dioxide directly from the air by pumping air through a battery-inspired cell. Their lab-scale prototype consists of nine stacked cells, each about half the size of a standard letter sheet of paper. Sinuous air channels built into the surrounding plates, using parts borrowed from fuel cell technology, allow a blower to push air through the system.

Lower energy use

The device captures carbon dioxide using roughly 0.8 megawatt-hours of electricity per ton of CO2 removed. That compares favorably to current direct air capture facilities, which typically use between 1.5 and 3 megawatt-hours per ton, making the new approach notably more energy-efficient.

Path toward commercial scale

Several members of the research team are also involved with a startup called RepAir Carbon, which is built around this technology. Part of the published research focuses on estimating the financial feasibility of scaling the device up. An initial small pilot plant would cost around $566 per ton of captured CO2. Applying the learning-rate trends seen in the lithium-ion battery industry along with standard cost-scaling assumptions for larger facilities, the researchers project that a plant with a thousand times the capacity of their pilot could bring costs down to about $92 per ton.

That figure would undercut what companies like Climeworks have achieved so far; Climeworks is targeting $250–$350 per ton by 2030 and has shown how difficult it can be to hit ambitious scaling targets. A cost of around $100 per ton has long been considered the threshold the carbon-capture industry needs to reach to spur widespread adoption. Having more competing technologies in development improves the chances that one of them eventually gets there.