From CCS to DACC, this is how the United States intends to invest almost 4 billion dollars against climate change

A plan has been approved in the USA for the direct capture of CO2 from the air (DACC), the step “following” of the CCS.

From the Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) we have talked in this articlekeeping the point of view within our European borders.

Across the ocean, a large sum has just been invested in the carbon removal industry, in order to remove 1 million tons of CO2 per year.

The check was cut by the US Department of Energy (DoE)specifying how most of the amount allocated (about 3.5 billion) is intended to create four mega regional hubs for CO2 direct capture from the air.

Each facility, according to agreements between the department and private companies “will demonstrate direct air capture technology or a number of commercial-scale technologies”which they must have “the potential to capture at least 1 million tons of CO2 per year from the atmosphere, either by storing it permanently in a geological formation or by converting it into products”.

The goal of the DoE is to perfect storage technologies on a large scale, in a way to reduce the cost per ton, bringing it to less than 100.

For cost comparison, the Orka plant in operation in Icelandcurrently the largest in the world, it costs $600 per tonwhile working by exploiting geothermal energy.

The United States manages 2/3 of CCS globally and are intent on making it a key asset on the path to climate neutrality by 2050. “No matter how quickly we decarbonise the national economy, we must tackle the pollution already in our atmosphere to avoid the worst effects of climate change”said Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm.

But what is DACC, or rather how does it work?

Starting from the acronym that stands for “Direct Air Carbon Capture”the capture of carbon directly from the air, in a sense, it is not too different from CCS, at least in the methodologies implemented.

CCS aims to capture CO2 directly where it is produced, i.e. from a “point source”such as a factory or power plant, using tools called scrubbers with a liquid solvent or solid sorbent that binds to the CO2 present in the exhaust gases.

Heat is then applied to release the CO2 in a pure stream that can be compressed and transported to permanent storagesuch as saline aquifers, or transformed into new products.

The same technology is also used in DACC and it is interesting to note how we are talking about a process known and used for years to remove sulfur from ship exhaust gases.