While countries around the world may have promised to reduce carbon pollution, they are far short as global emissions last year reached an all-time high.
To dig out of that hole, carbon must be removed directly from the atmosphere. However, it comes with a large price tag, mainly due to the energy needed. To remove 1 metric tonne of CO2 using direct air capture, it is expected that sorting and scaling the technology will require approximately 2,000 kWh of energy.
But one startup called Daclab says it’s already making it less. “We’re committed to providing a range of services to our customers,” said Aditya Bhandari, co-founder and CEO of Daclab.
Daclab has been secretly running for the past four years and emerged today with $3 million in seed funds. The round was led by early Discord investor Peter Lalan with participation from Silver Lake co-founder Day Blue and Woven Nurse Ventures founder Jane Woodward.
In most direct air capture schemes, air is blown off over solid materials that can absorb carbon dioxide. Once the material is saturated, it needs to release carbon dioxide, which can be pulled out elsewhere for storage. The CO2 release process tends to be energy-intensive, but in many cases heat of about 80°C to 120°C is involved. (Liquid adsorbents require more heat.)
To minimize construction costs, many startups perform capture and release steps in the same box. Meanwhile, Daclab separates the two, captures them in one place, and releases carbon dioxide in another place. Bhandari said the solid adsorbent (about 70°C) is relatively low in heat.
Forked setups are usually found on industrial sites with more concentrated exhaust streams. Daclab’s technology has been reused from such industrial designs. (Another startup, Global Thermostat, was recently sold for parts, but also used split designs.)
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Daclab’s technology comes from Tu Wien in Austria. There, a partnership with Shell produced the Point Source Carbon Capture Unit, which had run for nearly three years. “This is very unusual. Compare it with many of these other directors, compare it with the research group,” Bhandari said, noting that it was Austria’s largest carbon capture facility at the time.
The startup adopted the technology and tweaked it for direct air capture mandates. Daclab is building two units that can capture 100 tons a year, and plans to build a version that can capture 1,000 tons and 5,000 meter tons a year. The former will first be deployed in Washington state, while the latter will be installed in Kenya.
The company sells 100 metric tonne units for less than $500,000, Bhandari said. Ultimately, Daclab hopes to supply units to oil and gas companies, carbon project developers, and companies creating e-fuels for planes.
Ultimately, much of the cost of carbon capture depends on the amount of energy used. DACLAB has plans to reduce consumption per metric tonne to another below 1,000 kWh. If that happens, the company says it can capture carbon dioxide at $250 per metric tonne.
“We’re not one of the director’s capture companies that promises to reach $100 per tonne (metric) today,” says Bhandari. “Hopefully we can restart this much-needed industry, because it’s filled with so many things.
Modification: Experts estimate that the DAC requires approximately 2,000 kWh of total energy (heat and electricity).
