Recovering from Industrial Overshoot: Direct Air Capture of CO2
Presentation Type
None
In Person or Zoom Presentation
In-Person
Location
Student Union Event Center
Start Date
17-11-2025 5:30 PM
End Date
17-11-2025 6:00 PM
Presentation Description/Abstract
Humanity has elevated atmospheric CO2 from a pre-industrial value of 270 ppmv (parts per million by volume) to 425 ppmv, with a current rate of increase of 3.75 ppmv per year. Because somewhat over 80% of humanity's energy consumption is derived from fossil fuels and because it takes decades to meaningfully change energy sources, we expect atmospheric CO2 to rise well past 450 ppmv and drive substantial climate and ecological disruption. This industrial overshoot requires that humanity develop methods to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
We report on direct air capture of CO2 using a combination of adsorption and cryogenic cooling, all at industrial scale and operated in environments of low ambient temperature. While technological developments are required for this system’s efficient operation, those developments leverage a long history of industrial technology and experience, and they can be developed and tested at modest scale. The energy required to remove CO2 from the atmosphere via this approach may be competitive with direct air capture via previously-established techniques.
Recovering from Industrial Overshoot: Direct Air Capture of CO2
Student Union Event Center
Humanity has elevated atmospheric CO2 from a pre-industrial value of 270 ppmv (parts per million by volume) to 425 ppmv, with a current rate of increase of 3.75 ppmv per year. Because somewhat over 80% of humanity's energy consumption is derived from fossil fuels and because it takes decades to meaningfully change energy sources, we expect atmospheric CO2 to rise well past 450 ppmv and drive substantial climate and ecological disruption. This industrial overshoot requires that humanity develop methods to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
We report on direct air capture of CO2 using a combination of adsorption and cryogenic cooling, all at industrial scale and operated in environments of low ambient temperature. While technological developments are required for this system’s efficient operation, those developments leverage a long history of industrial technology and experience, and they can be developed and tested at modest scale. The energy required to remove CO2 from the atmosphere via this approach may be competitive with direct air capture via previously-established techniques.