DOE Invests $12M in Six Direct Air Capture Projects

The Department of Energy has earmarked $12 million to research direct air capture technologies, which are used to capture carbon dioxide directly from the air.

DOE said the funding will finance six projects across universities and laboratories in Arizona, North Carolina, Illinois and Kansas.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the investments will support the Biden administration’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

The department expects the next generation of direct capture technologies to be less costly and more effective in capturing carbon dioxide.

DOE noted that while direct air capture technologies are critical to the nation’s net-zero goals, the process itself is energy-intensive. The projects will help make the technology more energy-efficient, DOE said.

Cormetech, the Research Triangle Institute and Susteon were each awarded $1.5 million to advance various aspects of the technology, including cost-effectiveness and high-capacity regenerative materials for capture.

Black & Veatch, Silicon Kingdom Holdings and the University of Illinois each received $2.5 million to explore direct air capture operations in geographical locations with varying climates.

The latter three organizations will focus on creating the first direct air capture system that can capture 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

The six projects will be managed by the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, which finances research and development projects aimed at making fossil energy technologies more sustainable.

FECM recently also invested $1.5 million in research and identification of carbon-based materials that can provide lower-lifecycle carbon dioxide emissions and other benefits.