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Developing groundbreaking technology for CO2 capture from air

Removr plans to establish a DAC facility at Hellisheidi in Iceland. Illustration: Removr
Capturing CO2 directly from the air, known as Direct Air Capture (DAC), will play a crucial role in reducing atmospheric CO2 levels. Removr, a Norwegian developer of large-scale capture solutions, is taking the next step towards commercialization with funding from Enova and assistance from SINTEF.

Since 2022, Removr has been collaborating with SINTEF to develop a sustainable and cost-effective large-scale DAC technology. Removr is now taking an important step towards realizing large-scale solutions for capturing CO2 from the air by building a small scale pilot plant.

In the process, CO2 is captured by zeolites, a porous material (sorbent) that absorbes CO2 molecules into its pores. The material is suitable for industrial use; it is produced on a large scale today, is non-toxic, and has a long lifespan.

– We are very pleased to work with SINTEF on this groundbreaking project. SINTEF is a world-leading competence center in carbon capture, and we believe that this pilot project will be a crucial step towards a commercial large-scale solution for carbon capture, says Einar Tyssen, head of Removr.

SINTEF has been working with zeolites in the oil and gas industry since the 1990s. In this work, SINTEF has established advanced simulation tools that will now be validated for the use of zeolites for carbon capture from air and from exhaust gases with up to 1% CO2 content. The latter includes the electrolysis process in the aluminum industry, which currently does not have an effective carbon capture solution.

Research Director at SINTEF, Duncan Akporiaye, and Head of Removr, Einar Tyssen. Photo: SINTEF

The pilot Genesis

At SINTEF's facilities in Oslo, researchers from SINTEF and engineers from Removr will qualify the final parts of the technology, and provide important knowledge about materials, energy consumption, and dimensioning. The pilot project is named Genesis, has a total cost of 56 million NOK, and is expected to be ready for the first demonstration in the fall of 2025.

– It is exciting to collaborate closely with Removr to develop cutting-edge technology solutions for direct CO2 removal. The project exemplifies how SINTEF can contribute during the critical piloting phase to ensure that Norwegian technology is adopted more swiftly, says Duncan Akporiaye, research director at SINTEF Industry.

– To reach the 1.5-degree goal, we need to remove much more CO2 from the atmosphere than we emit. With today's technology, DAC is an expensive and energy-intensive method for removing CO2 from the air. Therefore, the technology must be developed and made cheaper so that it can be used on a larger scale. DAC technology can be used to capture CO2 both from industrial gases with low concentrations and directly from the air around us. That is why Enova supports this pilot project, says Karianne Stræte Resell, senior advisor at Enova.

International expansion

Removr will expand the technology internationally and has been invited as a partner in one of the major DAC hubs in the USA. There, the company plans to establish a facility capable of capturing approximately 50,000 tons of CO2 directly from the air annually. Removr is also actively engaged in projects in Canada, Iceland, and Norway.

The capture process in Removr's DAC facility

In Removr's facility, large fans first blow air through a drying unit, where most of the water is removed in a passive drying process. The air is then cooled in large heat exchangers, before the dry cool air is passed over the zeolite. CO2 molecules are adsorbed in the pores of the material, and when the sorbent is saturated with CO2, it is heated, and then pure CO2 is released.

In Removr's facility, the drying and capture process is optimized, and process heat is efficiently reused in an energy-efficient cyclic process. The facility requires only renewable electricity and does not need water, natural gas/hydrocarbon, external heat, or other external energy sources. In addition, no harmful chemicals or critical minerals are used.

Captured CO2 is permanently stored underground. In Iceland, Removr has collaborated closely with its partner Carbfix to store CO2 in the island´s geological formations. Carbfix has been developing this technology since 2006. While this process naturally takes many years, Carbfix has accelerated it, so CO2 is now converted to stone and safely stored within just two years.

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