Cal DAC: A Novel Carbonate-Based Direct Air Capture Approach

This project focuses on the development of Cal DAC, an innovative carbonate-based technology for direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide (CO2) from ambient air. The process uses specially produced calcium hydroxide to capture and permanently store CO2 through a controlled mineral carbonation reaction. The project has three key objectives:
1. Investigate the carbonation behaviour of novel calcium hydroxide materials under varying temperature and humidity conditions to better understand and optimise CO2 capture performance.
2. Conduct regional resource mapping and multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) for selected countries to identify optimal deployment locations. The first MCDA incorporates natural and flare gas as energy sources, with economic and geological storage criteria included.
3. Carry out techno-economic analysis to assess how the integration of low-carbon energy and carbon credit mechanisms could improve the overall feasibility and scalability of the Cal DAC system.