(103h) Distributed Direct Air Capture for Dense Urban Spaces
AIChE Annual Meeting
2024
2024 AIChE Annual Meeting
Topical Conference: Sustainable (Lower Carbon-Intensive) Energy Solutions: The Art of Scale-up and/or Scale-out
Thermochemical pathways
Monday, October 28, 2024 - 3:50pm to 4:10pm
Existing efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of the energy grid alone is inadequate to meet net
zero emissions targets by 2050. To achieve net zero goals, any released CO2 emissions must be
balanced by the permanent removal of CO2. Subsequently, in the longer term, CO2 sources used
in CO2-derived products will largely be from the atmosphere. The technology that actively
captures of CO2 directly from the air is known as direct air capture (DAC). The mainstream
implementation of DAC technology has been limited by: (1) high energy penalties, (2) process
scaling risks, and (3) land-intensive requirements. Consequently, the aforementioned factors pose
a substantial barrier for the deployment of DAC technologies, especially in dense, urban cities.
Taking into account these constraints, our team has developed a material driven solution that would
facilitate the rapid deployment of DAC in high rise buildings. Compared to building a centralized
DAC facility with a singular function of removing CO2 from the air, the integration of DAC hubs
within buildings would enable DAC to be implemented in a distributed, scale-out manner. Using
the distributed direct air capture (DDAC) approach, ambient CO2 levels could be reduced at urban
city states through the collective deployment of the DDAC technology. Besides potential air
quality improvements, the elevated indoor CO2 levels presents a thermodynamic advantage for
DAC implementation. Similarly, building energy efficiency could benefit from increased
circulation of air within the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. The
coupling of HVAC and DAC systems could allow for the recirculation of air within the building
instead of repeatedly and inefficiently intaking fresh outdoor air.
Once captured within our proprietary sorbent, CO2 is released and the sorbent is regenerated at a
centralized facility. The later use of CO2, either permanently stored (e.g., within concrete or
geological formations) or industrial feedstock, will dictate the required product gas composition
and pressure. The energy requirements of DDAC plants are thus associated with applicationspecific
factors that are highly context dependent, calling for case-by-case life-cycle assessments.
Informed by these assessments, a full specification required for the circular carbon ecosystem is
established. For instance, the optimal and viable transport mode for CO2 and other practical
logistic and cost challenges for the different applications much be evaluated.
zero emissions targets by 2050. To achieve net zero goals, any released CO2 emissions must be
balanced by the permanent removal of CO2. Subsequently, in the longer term, CO2 sources used
in CO2-derived products will largely be from the atmosphere. The technology that actively
captures of CO2 directly from the air is known as direct air capture (DAC). The mainstream
implementation of DAC technology has been limited by: (1) high energy penalties, (2) process
scaling risks, and (3) land-intensive requirements. Consequently, the aforementioned factors pose
a substantial barrier for the deployment of DAC technologies, especially in dense, urban cities.
Taking into account these constraints, our team has developed a material driven solution that would
facilitate the rapid deployment of DAC in high rise buildings. Compared to building a centralized
DAC facility with a singular function of removing CO2 from the air, the integration of DAC hubs
within buildings would enable DAC to be implemented in a distributed, scale-out manner. Using
the distributed direct air capture (DDAC) approach, ambient CO2 levels could be reduced at urban
city states through the collective deployment of the DDAC technology. Besides potential air
quality improvements, the elevated indoor CO2 levels presents a thermodynamic advantage for
DAC implementation. Similarly, building energy efficiency could benefit from increased
circulation of air within the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. The
coupling of HVAC and DAC systems could allow for the recirculation of air within the building
instead of repeatedly and inefficiently intaking fresh outdoor air.
Once captured within our proprietary sorbent, CO2 is released and the sorbent is regenerated at a
centralized facility. The later use of CO2, either permanently stored (e.g., within concrete or
geological formations) or industrial feedstock, will dictate the required product gas composition
and pressure. The energy requirements of DDAC plants are thus associated with applicationspecific
factors that are highly context dependent, calling for case-by-case life-cycle assessments.
Informed by these assessments, a full specification required for the circular carbon ecosystem is
established. For instance, the optimal and viable transport mode for CO2 and other practical
logistic and cost challenges for the different applications much be evaluated.