Dedicated space. Driven team. Determined to make an impact.

Carbon Engineering's Innovation Centre exists to provide the optimal environment for scientists, engineers and innovators from around the world to drive Direct Air Capture forward.

Our Approach to Direct Air Capture

Our team has spent more than a decade developing our in-depth understanding of each variable in the capture equation, enabling our experts to strategically develop and target cost down pathways. The Innovation Centre is a key component of CE's technology development program, enabling our team to introduce new materials, processes and technologies so we can test, analyze, validate and repeat. At the core of our work, we deliver data-driven improvements validated and derisked at various lab, bench, and pilot scales in Squamish (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh).

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Iterate icon

Iterate

These advancements include introducing new versions of materials that yield continuous improvements — like improved air contactor geometry that results in fewer or more efficient air contactors — and can be rolled out to commercial facilities as they become available.

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Evolve

Evolutionary DAC pathways leverage the current generation components in new or different ways. Think streamlined material flows and lessons that can only be learned through full integration of our Innovation Centre.

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Revolutionize

From alternative energy inputs to new technologies, we're listening to the market and finding new innovations and efficiencies to bring down the cost of capture.

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Case Study

Case Study

Achievements in air contactor efficiency.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) in the ambient air is roughly equivalent to a drop of dye in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Even so, current rising emissions are enough to push our climate beyond a 1.5°C reality.

That means any Direct Air Capture (DAC) system needs to move massive amounts of air and capture enough CO2 in the process to make an impact. That's why the air contactors in CE’s DAC process are a critical component and important area of focus.

Continue to the next slide to read more about CE's pursuit and achievements in air contactor efficiency.

Dedicated space.

Located in Squamish, British Columbia, the Innovation Centre was built in 2021 and is home to Carbon Engineering’s continued research and technology development activities.

Today, the team works continuously to identify improvements that advance the technology at commercial scale, for STRATOS and beyond. This ongoing work has already yielded several promising opportunities to lower costs on future projects.

A key example is continuously improving the efficiency of our capture system, specifically the air contactor units. Air contactors move air into the first step of the DAC process, where it meets a liquid sorbent running across an inexpensive, durable PVC structure to capture the ambient carbon dioxide.

Driven team.

Our in-depth knowledge of each variable in the capture equation developed over the last 15 years allows CE innovators to take a strategic approach to keep cost down, considering levers that impact both capital and operating costs in a meaningful way at commercial scale.

  • From a capital costs perspective, improved air contactor geometry results in fewer air contactors.
  • With fewer air contactors needed, we see reduced energy needs on the operations side.

Determined to make an impact.

In 2022, CE announced that testing conducted with our latest capture material could yield a 20% efficiency improvement. Following validation of the results later that year, the improvements were rolled into the STRATOS facility currently under construction.

We call these iterative improvements, which are a product of the area in CE’s technology development program that focuses on continuous improvements to the capture system.