Current DAC Systems
Released CO₂-Free Air
Released CO₂-Free Air
Fan Draws in the Air
Filter is heated to release the captured CO₂
Stored CO₂
Current carbon capture and sequestration systems all work by using large fans to suck air into their respective systems or by sucking carbon out of the air and storing it within old disused undersea oil fields.
These systems may use renewable sources of energy to ensure that there is a net reduction in atmospheric CO₂. However, they have high demands in power requirements to operate the system in capturing the air. Furthermore, mechanical condenser methods are used to compress the CO₂ for storage and utilisation.
Concerns of Current DAC Systems
Energy Intensive
DAC systems require significant energy to operate, which contributes to further greenhouse gas emissions if the energy source is not renewable.
High Costs
The current cost of capturing carbon dioxide using DAC is relatively high, making it an economically unviable solution to adopt and scale. The average cost of CO₂ capture per tonne is $600 for DAC.
Limited Scale
While DAC technology is advancing, it is still in its early stages and has not yet been deployed on a large enough scale to make a substantial impact on global carbon emissions. Less than 1 million tonnes of CO₂ are being captured globally.