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Direct Air Capture (DAC): What is it and what role does it play in the energy transition?

Direct air capture (DAC)

What is Direct Air Capture?

Direct Air Capture (DAC) is a technique that removes CO₂ directly from the ambient air. That sounds like a thing of the future, but it is a technique that already exists and is being applied. According to some experts, DAC could be an important additional solution in the fight against climate change.

For the energy transition, DAC offers two major advantages:

  • It removes existing emissions that are already in the air (atmosphere).
  • It produces clean CO₂. The CO₂ extracted from the air can be used by industry, greenhouses or refineries as a building block.

How does Direct Air Capture work?

DAC uses fans that guide air past special filters or liquids to which the CO₂ sticks. The process consists of three steps:

1. Adsorption: capturing CO₂

The air flows past the pipes/filters, which only retain CO₂ molecules. The rest of the air flows through.

2. Desorption: releasing CO₂

By generating heat or vacuum, the material (pipes/filters) releases the CO₂ again. This produces a concentrated stream of CO₂.

3. Compression and storage or reuse

The CO₂ is compressed and then:

  • stored underground, in empty gas fields, or
  • reused in products such as synthetic fuels, building materials or CO₂ supply for greenhouse horticulture.

Is DAC already being used?

Yes. Several projects are currently running worldwide. However, it must be noted that none of these projects can store CO₂ on a large scale; they are mainly still pilot projects. The technique is still very much under development in terms of efficiency and costs. Various projects are active worldwide and in the Netherlands:

International initiatives

  • Climeworks (Iceland) - captures 4,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually and stores it in rock.
  • Sirona Technologies (Middle East) - uses solar energy to guide air past filters, a completely emission-free form of DAC. Stores around 300 tonnes annually, with plans to reach 3,000 tonnes per year.

Dutch developments

  • SkyTree - a spin-off of ESA, develops DAC systems for local CO₂ production, for example for greenhouse horticulture.
  • WUR (Bleiswijk) - has been testing several DAC installations since 2024 to investigate how the technique can help with a fossil-free CO₂ supply for horticulture.

Why DAC can be important for the energy transition

Powerplay shows that the energy transition is about multiple tactics/solutions at the same time: saving, electrifying, adding flexibility and deploying sustainable molecules. At the same time, the game shows that every technology has both advantages and disadvantages. DAC can contribute to a climate-neutral energy system, but is it worth the high costs? After all, there are many other solutions available too.

Conclusion

Direct Air Capture is a promising but still very expensive technique. It can help to remove residual emissions, supply sustainable CO₂ and make the energy transition future-proof. In Powerplay you discover whether DAC fits within a realistic, factual energy model and how this technique can be deployed to reduce CO₂ emissions.