The world’s countries may have pledged to cut its carbon pollution, but with global emissions reaching an all-time high last year they’ve fallen far short.
Digging out of that hole is going to require removing carbon straight from the atmosphere. But it comes with a hefty price tag, mostly because of the energy required. Removing one metric ton of CO2 using direct air capture is expected to require around 2,000 kWh of electricity when the technology is sorted and scaled up.
One startup called DACLab says it’s already doing it for less, though. “We have data that I can share with you at 1,500 kilowatt hours per [metric] ton,” said Aditya Bhandari, co-founder and CEO of DACLab, told TechCrunch.
DACLab, which has been operating stealthily for the last four years, emerged today with $3 million in seed funding, the company exclusively told TechCrunch. The round was led by early Discord investor Peter Relan with participation from Silver Lake co-founder Dave Roux, WovenEarth Ventures founder Jane Woodward, and others.
In most direct air capture schemes, air is blown over a solid material capable of absorbing carbon dioxide. As the material saturates, the carbon dioxide needs to be released so it can be drawn off and stored elsewhere. The process of releasing the CO2 tends to be energy intensive, though, frequently involving heat around 80˚ C to 120˚ C. (Liquid sorbents require even more heat.)
To minimize construction costs, many startups perform the capture and release steps in the same box. DACLab, on the other hand, separates the two, capturing in one place and releasing carbon dioxide in another. The heat is relatively low for a solid sorbent, around 70˚ C, Bhandari said. Most
The bifurcated setup is found more often at industrial sites, which have more concentrated exhaust streams. DACLab’s technology was repurposed from such industrial designs. (Another startup, Global Thermostat, which was recently sold for parts, also had used a split design.)
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