387 - Direct Air Capture

omega tau science & engineering podcast

Guest: Peter Psarras Host: Markus Völter Shownoter: Simon Bretschneider

The climate situatation is getting more and more dire, and in order to reach the goals the international community has set for themselves, engineering solutions seem increasingly necessary. After talking about solar geoengineering in episode 385, we will look at direct air capture in this episode. Direct Air Capture is a family of technologies that allow the extraction of CO2 from the atmosphere. My guest Peter Psarras explains the technology, the economics and also the political and moral challenges associated with the technology.

Peter Psarras is introducing himself

00:02:10

Peter Psarras | Carbon Direct

DAC

00:03:56

DAC (direct air capture) | CCS (carbon capture and storage) | Point source capture | CO2 | Lithosphere | Life cycle emission | Carbon neutral | Climate crisis

How does it work? Physical mechanism, chemical processes

00:11:15

Concentration of CO2 in air | Physisorption | Desorption | Energy demand for DAC | Sorbent for CO2 capture

Representative Example of chemical/physical processes to bind CO2 in the sorbent

00:19:12

Climeworks | Amine absorber CO2 | TRL (Technology readiness level) | LCA (Life cycle analysis) | Carbon engineering | Solvent based carbon capture approach | Overview absorber materials | Direct air mineralization | IPCC Report | Reforestation | Orca plant | Electric swing approach

Economics of CO2

00:56:30

Regenerative agriculture | Ocean alkalinity enhancement | Heirloom CO2 DAC | Advanced market commitment for CO2 | Cost Curve DAC | Carbon Credit | X Price Carbon Removal | Carbon Storage in Concrete: | Moral hazard | Scaling of carbon removal | Short and longterm cost of climate change

Other solutions

01:24:52

BECCS (Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage) | Biomass | Waste biomass | Carbon mineralization | Enhanced weathering | Ocean acidification | Carbonate and bicarbonate cycle | Blue carbon | CO2 concentration in seawater | Electrochemical CO2 capture

Wrap up and conclusion

01:34:41