(Credit: Avnos)Avnos, a California company developing hybrid direct air capture (HDAC) for carbon removal, has announced strategic partnerships with ConocoPhillips, JetBlue, and Shell toward accelerating the commercialization of their carbon capture technology.
Atmospheric carbon levels are at a historical high, at over 50% higher than they were before the Industrial Revolution. Nearly all models that address the impact of carbon emissions on climate change include the need for carbon removal technologies.
However, not all carbon capture technologies are created equal. Most direct air capture (DAC) systems use several tons of water for every ton of carbon captured, and energy is needed to power such systems. HDAC technology is unique for its ability to capture both carbon and water from the atmosphere in one system, which instead produces 5 tons to 10 tons of water for every ton of carbon captured. The technology also reduces the system’s energy consumption by using captured water to create a moisture-responsive carbon-absorbing material, minimizing the system’s need for heat energy.
The new partnership will speed up Avnos’ development process, which the company hopes will make the technology available by the end of 2025.
“Avnos is laser focused on delivering the most cost-effective, flexible, and scalable commercial Direct Air Capture technology in the world,” said Will Kain, CEO of Avnos. “Adding blue-chip strategic partners such as ConocoPhillips, JetBlue Ventures, and Shell provides us with an incredible opportunity to access more resources, know-how, and global reach to meaningfully accelerate our deployment schedule. Ultimately, we will be able to remove more atmospheric carbon, faster, and at lower costs than we would have been able to on our own. This is a very exciting announcement at a very exciting time for our company.”
Many companies have recently been investing in carbon capture technology, especially for its potential in sectors that are unable to reduce emissions otherwise. Other carbon-capturing technologies are already in use for capturing carbon directly from large sources like power plants or industrial processes, but Direct Air Capture can capture carbon from diffuse sources.
Some skepticism surrounds DAC because the carbon in open air is diluted, making the technology more complex and expensive. Scientists also warn against using more carbon-causing energy to power carbon capture than they end up taking out, so using renewable energy sources to power these plants is crucial.
Regardless, conclusive evidence shows that along with stopping new carbon from entering the atmosphere, removing billions of tons of carbon by mid-century is crucial in maintaining a livable climate. Hundreds of thousands of DAC plants are likely needed to achieve those numbers, and Avnos’ technology could help achieve such goals.
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