Technical, policy and stakeholder analysis of direct air capture

Abstract

Direct air capture (DAC) can remove CO2 directly from the atmosphere and therefore can be used to reduce atmospheric concentrations of CO2. Despite this, there is little research which carries out a detailed comparison of these systems. This is also true for research which analyses the effect policies regarding climate change are having on DAC development. Furthermore, there is no available analysis on potential stakeholders for DAC companies. These factors have contributed to a lack of widespread implementation of DAC. By answering the following research question the negative effect these elements are having on DAC development can be minimised. “How do the most promising available DAC systems described in literature compare, where does DAC fit in current policy and how can DAC companies best position themselves to maximise the potential of their technology?” To answer this question a set of criteria are used and categorised as contributing to different objectives which can help DAC development. This can be used to identify technology and policy combinations which are likely to be successful. Following this a stakeholder analysis is carried out from the point of view of DAC companies. This is used to identify where there is dependency between DAC companies and other stakeholders to achieve their objective. Through this analysis it was additionally found that combining an amine carbon capture system which captures CO2 from flue gas with a humidity swing DAC system which captures CO2 from the atmosphere that an extra 8% of CO2 can be captured than with the amine carbon captures system alone. In this system the humidity swing DAC system uses the waste heat from the amine carbon capture system as a heat source. This means that there are no extra thermal energy requirements to capture this extra CO2. This type of system can be used in the energy production sector where energy is produced from natural gas or coal and therefore reduce emissions from this sector. By using a policy which passes the cost of this system onto the consumer by promising a minimum price for electricity it, generally called a contract for differences, it reduces burden on public finances and therefore be an attractive option for governments. The implications for this study are that DAC companies and energy suppliers from natural gas or coal with an amine carbon capture system should explore potential collaboration. This is because it has been shown in this research that technically these systems can be combined to reduce CO2 emissions with minimal increase in operating cost.