Climeworks opens ‘world’s largest’ DAC research centre

CLIMEWORKS has opened its Direct Air Capture (DAC) Innovation Center in Zurich, Switzerland, which it says is the world’s largest research facility dedicated to advancing DAC technology. The company hopes the centre will help drive down the high cost of carbon removal.

The new facility brings together more than 50 engineers, chemists and technology specialists focused on scaling improvements in sorbent performance, energy efficiency and system design.

DAC remains one of the most expensive carbon removal technologies, costing around US$1,065 per tonne of CO2, according to BloombergNEF. The high cost is driven mainly by the substantial energy required to separate CO2 from ambient air, where it exists only in trace concentrations amid oxygen, nitrogen and other gases.

To curb expensive operational costs, companies, including Climeworks, are working on DAC methods such as solid adsorption and electrochemical systems.

Scaling strategy

The Innovation Center will test DAC technologies across the entire development chain, including the creation of new sorbent materials, small- and mid-scale testing facilities and performance trials under different climatic and operating conditions.

Climeworks expects research carried out at the facility will help expand the global DAC project pipeline while reducing deployment risks and shortening development timelines.

The company already operates Mammoth in Iceland, currently the largest DAC facility in the world, with a capture capacity of 36,000 t/y of CO2.

Next phases

Like many emerging technology companies, Climeworks has faced financial headwinds linked to broader uncertainty in green investment. In May, it cut 10% of its workforce due to “macroeconomic uncertainty”.

Despite this, the company says it remains committed to expanding its R&D efforts, with the new Innovation Center marking a significant step in its long-term scaleup strategy.

Jan Wurzbacher, co-CEO of Climeworks, said: “The Climeworks DAC Innovation Center is how we turn our recent breakthroughs into deployable, efficient, more affordable solutions. Combined with our operating plants in Iceland, this facility positions Climeworks to lead the next phase of global carbon removal.”

The company recently signed a deal with engineering firm Schneider Electric to remove 31,000 t of C02 from the atmosphere by 2039.