CHOCO2LATE

CO2 will be a key resource in the green transition for two main reasons; 1) to carbon-offset hard-to-decarbonize sectors to reach carbon neutrality in 2050, and 2) to ensure the production of carbon-based fuels, chemicals, and materials in a carbon-driven PtX industrial setup. Paradoxically, despite the fact that we are fighting against climate changes due to CO2 accumulation in the atmosphere, CO2 scarcity is a real threat if we only count on CO2 from point sources. Atmospheric CO2 is an almost limitless CO2 resource, and direct air capture (DAC) of CO2 is the only long-term solution for providing sufficient carbon for the PtX industry (CCU) and to achieving net CO2 negativity (CCS). Despite the currently higher costs of DAC over point source CO2 capture, DAC is likely to become an inflection point in the long term due to the unlimited resource. In fact, projections forecast that 80 % of the industrially needed CO2 will come directly from the air. DAC pilot facilities are currently in operation, but the full potential of DAC is still challenged by high consumption of energy and water, negative environmental effects of absorbents, and the use of carbon-based fuels for sorbent regeneration, which negatively offset the CO2 capture efficiency. Thus, there is an unmet need for technical solutions, which can improve efficiencies and versatility of DAC systems.

The purpose of the project is to develop a solution that is both technically feasible and economically attractive to capture CO2 directly from air. When successful, such technology can significantly mitigate the future risk of CO2 scarcity for PtX purposes.