Direct Air capture (DAC) deployment: A review of the industrial deployment

Abstract

Currently, scientists and investors consider Direct Air Capture (DAC) as one of the candidates to reduce CO2 emissions. The emissions cut is pressing since 30% of the current greenhouse gas emissions must be addressed by 2030. In seven years, CO2 removal (CDR) technologies are expected to reach a Technology Readiness Level (TRL), relevant to industrial applications. The most promising technologies are at TRL-7, but the jump to TRL-11 in the new IEA scale for disruptive technologies looks unlikely because the scale-up from small pilots to industrial scale requires time and large investments. Moreover, validation on a large scale is still missing or even unplanned. This work also identifies the critical materials supply chain and the competition with the energy transition as limiting factors which could further hinder DAC deployment and reduce DAC contribution in the next years when a first significant emissions cut should be addressed.