Removing CO2 with ‘carbon orchards’

Spiritus

A new DAC technology is more efficient and uses less energy than existing methods

Spotted: Direct Air Capture (DAC) may seem like a silver bullet when it comes to tackling emissions, but the technology has also received its fair share of criticism for being expensive to implement, using toxic solvents and a lot of water, and requiring too much energy to power. Spiritus is working to overcome these challenges with its innovative ‘Carbon Orchard’ DAC technology.

Spiritus has developed a novel system involving passive air contactors and a solid sorbent material – called ‘Fruit’ – that efficiently adsorbs CO2 from the ambient air. This is coupled with a centralised, fully contained desorption system where CO2 is removed and captured at a low temperature.

This technology makes up Spiritus’ ‘Trees’, and once the CO2 has been removed, the ‘Fruit’ sorbents can be returned to the ‘Trees’ so they can continue capturing carbon. The technology is designed to be easily scalable, and multiple of the silo-like, modular ‘Tree’ systems can be combined into an effective ‘Carbon Orchard’.

According to Spiritus, its process cuts energy usage by more than half when compared to current methods. At the same time, rapid sorption and desorption rates, and a reusable sorbent, radically cut sorbent costs. The company believes it can achieve a capture cost of under $100 per ton – a substantial decrease compared to current industry standards.

Recently, the company announced that it was launching a pilot facility in New Mexico, which will be used to pressure-test its technology at scale. This follows another announcement back in March 2024 that Spiritus was establishing its flagship project, called Orchard One, in Central Wyoming. When complete, it will be one of the world’s largest DAC facilities, capable of capturing up to two megatons of carbon annually and further testing the company’s tech. The carbon will be geologically sequestered on site.

Written By: Lisa Magloff and Matilda Cox