SBIR Phase II: CAS: A Novel Approach for Achieving Scale in Direct Air Carbon Capture

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project stands to contribute to the creation of viable gigaton-scale Direct Air CO2 Capture (DAC), a key pillar in preventing the worst effects of rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere and oceans. Capturing CO2 for permanent sequestration can play a decisive role in mitigating the impacts of rising atmospheric CO2 levels if conducted as part of wider net zero efforts. According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, gigaton-scale DAC stands to support the creation of a trillion-dollar industry in the United States and underpin the development of thousands of jobs. This project is focused on the development of a novel DAC design that addresses two key hurdles to achieving the scale needed to effectively offset the rising CO2 levels for our planet: cost to build the technology and energy to run it. The company’s technology comprises a contactor in which air is pulled in, a chemically reactive spray of amine solvent is injected into a hollow space with no physical media to resist airflow, and a proprietary, low-pressure-drop separator removing spray from the airflow for re-use and subsequent regeneration. Following successful demonstration of the concept at two-meter scale completed during SBIR phase I, the company will test a commercial scale pilot of the system during SBIR phase II. This pilot will include optimized separator build and testing, construction of one commercial contactor module, and sustained operations targeting 2,816 hours, removing 445 tons of CO2. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.