Electro-swing adsorption for high efficiency direct air capture

There is a clear scientific consensus on the role of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions in the unusually wild fluctuations of global climate patterns over the last century. To that end there has been an exponential growth of investments in “clean tech”, and mainly in direct air capture (DAC). Verdox, Inc. aims to introduce a radically novel technology to the field which presents a paradigm shift in DAC as well as adsorption-type processes. The core technology relies on the electrochemical cells which can capture carbon upon charging and release it upon discharge. This allows carbon capture from streams of any concentration (including air at ~ 400 ppm), and its release into any carrier stream, including pure CO2, with a low balance of plant. The electro-swing basis of our process allows its linear scaling with desired capacity and lends it geometric flexibility. Also, the electrical nature of the process allow its seamless integration into the renewable energy grid, where energy can be stored as captured CO2, mitigating the effect of renewable energy intermittency. Verdox intends to undertake the substantial R&D effort required to commercialize DAC units based on this technology. Herein, we propose developing a scalable, proof-of-concept DAC prototype which leads to potential commercialization of DAC units which operate at a cost of < $100 per ton of CO2. The work involves development of new materials and electrochemical cells, and the fabrication and testing of a prototype.