Pulling carbon dioxide directly from the air with giant vacuum-like devices is an enticing solution to the climate crisis, with governments and industry funneling billions of dollars into direct air capture (DAC) technology. But this would-be heavy-industry geoengineering solution remains mired in controversy as it faces real-world questions of cost, scale and viability. At its most basic, direct air capture works by passing vast quantities of air through a series of filters and membranes to trap atmospheric carbon dioxide. DAC differs from other carbon capture approaches that aim to trap CO2 directly at the source. Once captured, CO2 can be funneled into the earth, stored in geological formations for hundreds or thousands of years, or used by other industries to produce products ranging from plastics to hydrogen to synthetic aviation fuels. DAC is just one of many carbon dioxide removal techniques (including technological and nature-based solutions) that many experts say may be needed by countries desperate to achieve their carbon reduction targets under the Paris climate agreement. Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) may also be needed to mitigate the worst impacts of global warming, as the world continues releasing record carbon emissions skyward. Proponents argue that DAC can help achieve these climate goals, especially tackling emissions from hard-to-abate industries, and they underline its potential to remove CO2 at industrial scales, possibly even capturing billions of tons each year. “The reason why direct air capture is such a unique and important part of the carbon removal portfolio is because it gives extremely…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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