To mitigate climate change, research teams and tech start-ups are developing direct air capture devices, which can collect carbon dioxide from the atmosphere directly. Although the technology works, the early projects have been costly and energy consuming.
Filters or liquid solutions are used in the systems to capture carbon dioxide from air pushed across them. Once the filters are full, the carbon dioxide must be released, and the capture cycle restarted using power and heat. The energy source must be carbon-free for the process to achieve net negative emissions.
The world's largest active direct air capture facility, located in Iceland, utilizes waste heat and renewable energy to pump the carbon dioxide into the underlying basalt rock, where it combines with the basalt and calcifies, and form solid material.
