DOE Announces $12 Million for Direct Air Capture Tech
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $12 million federal funding package for six research and development (R&D) projects advancing direct air capture (DAC) technology that extracts carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the atmosphere. The projects, housed at universities and labs in Arizona, North Carolina, Illinois and Kansas, are creating tools that will increase the amount of CO2 captured by DAC, decrease the cost of materials, and improve the energy efficiency of carbon removal operations. When deployed, the next generation of clean energy technology will help reach the Biden Administration’s goal of a net-zero emissions by 2050.
The six projects will be managed by DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), and will:
- Increase the amount of CO2 captured in DAC operations
- Initiate early-stage testing of DAC systems operated by low-cost wind
- Develop high-capacity regenerative materials for novel DAC technology
- Execute early-stage engineering designs for DAC technology
- Implement an initial design of three carbon farms using a commercial-scale DAC system
- Utilize low-carbon energy sources to power commercial scale DAC operation
Three of the six selected projects will also explore DAC operations in three specific geographical locations, with varying climates, to create a first-ever DAC system that can capture 100,000 tons of CO2 per year. Currently, no existing DAC system has this CO2 capacity.
More information about the National Energy Technology Laboratory is available on the NETL website.
Original Release: Department of Energy
