Direct Air Capture + Storage

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Direct Air Capture + Storage (DAC+S) is a technology that can remove and then permanently store atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) using low carbon emission energy and provide economic benefits to surrounding communities. DAC+S is a process that removes CO2 from the air and transports it via pipeline to a sequestration reservoir for safe and permanent underground storage.

In its simplest form, during the DAC+S process, air is pulled in with a fan and passed through a filter which absorbs the CO2. Heat is then employed to release the captured gas. Captured CO2 can then be cooled, compressed, and safely injected deep underground for permanent storage.

Why do we need DAC+S?

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), carbon removal methods such as DAC+S are key to mitigation pathways aimed at keeping global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), states that advancing the deployment of DAC and other carbon dioxide removal approaches will be critical to meeting our net-zero emissions targets and helping mitigate climate change. In 2022, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) released its California Climate Plan to implement the most ambitious climate action of any jurisdiction in the world, including annual carbon removal and capture targets.

DAC Hub

California DAC Hub

CRC’s Carbon TerraVault (CTV) has assembled a consortium of more than 40 diverse organizations across industry, technology, academia, national labs, community, tribes, government, and labor to create the California DAC Hub - the state’s first full-scale DAC+S network of regional hubs that will provide transformative benefits to our California communities. Read more on our California DAC Hub page. Read more about our California DAC Hub and download our DAC+S fact sheet, available in English (PDF) and Spanish (PDF).