Equinor
Advancing a low-cost pathway for Direct Air Capture
Reducing the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere is one of the most important technological opportunities for tackling climate change. But to deploy direct air capture (DAC) at meaningful scale, the technology must become significantly more cost-effective.
Equinor – a Norwegian-based international energy company – has been developing a new DAC technology designed to be scalable, reliable, and cost-competitive. As part of this programme, Equinor engaged our scientists and engineers to provide specialist engineering and scientific support during key phases of technology development.
Tackling a complex challenge together
DAC systems typically draw air into an absorber where the air comes into contact with a chemical sorbent that captures CO₂. The CO₂ is then released using heat, pressure, or other methods and the high-purity CO₂ feedstock can then be permanently stored or reused.
DAC complements point-source carbon capture by addressing legacy emissions and supporting the decarbonisation of hard-to-abate sectors.
However, capturing CO₂ from air is technically challenging and energy-intensive because atmospheric CO₂ is far less concentrated than in industrial exhaust streams, making DAC more costly today.
Working together, the Equinor and PA teams focused on understanding the key technical and cost drivers of DAC systems and identifying opportunities to improve performance and reduce costs.
Advancing the technology
Equinor engaged our experts in chemistry, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, electronic engineering, software and controls, and physics to accelerate key areas of research, testing, and engineering. We worked with Equinor to identify and characterise promising sorbent formulations, design, build, and test custom absorber rigs, and provide advanced control methods to guide cost-effective industrial deployment.
We also supported the development of techno-economic models used to explore cost drivers and inform design decisions. This work helped identify opportunities to leverage mature, lower-risk subsystems and explore the use of low-cost energy sources such as waste heat.
The close collaboration combined Equinor’s technology development with our multidisciplinary engineering and modelling expertise to accelerate learning and generate robust data to guide the next stages of development.
This work is right at the forefront of DAC innovation. It’s a great example of how we’re able to connect science, engineering, and sector expertise, working hand-in-hand with our client to take a pioneering technology and accelerate its development.”
Unlocking DAC at scale means tackling cost, engineering, and scale at the same time. Working closely with PA accelerated key parts of our technology development and helped us focus on the most credible pathways forward.”
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