In this episode of our ‘Sustainability in the Air’ podcast, Anna Stukas, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at 1PointFive, speaks with SimpliFlying’s CEO Shashank Nigam about scaling direct air capture (DAC) technology and its crucial role in aviation’s path to net zero. 1PointFive is a carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) company focused on reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Before joining 1PointFive, Stukas spent nearly a decade with Carbon Engineering, a leading DAC technology developer based in Squamish, British Columbia. Both companies are now subsidiaries of Oxy, following the acquisition of Carbon Engineering by Oxy Low Carbon Ventures. This has enabled 1PointFive to deploy Carbon Engineering’s technology at scale, both within the aviation sector and across the broader direct air capture industry.
With extensive experience in carbon capture since 2015, Stukas brings unique insights into how DAC technology can complement sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and help address aviation’s residual emissions.
Here are the key highlights of the conversation:
Understanding direct air capture fundamentals (2:15)
The role of DAC in aviation's net zero journey (5:50)
Scaling up: Building commercial-scale facilities (11:50)
Building momentum through strategic partnerships (16:25)
The future of SAF and DAC integration (27:10)
Long-term storage and security of the captured CO2 (34:08)
Renewable energy infrastructure (37:19)
Rapid fire! (45:39)
Keep reading for a detailed overview of the episode.
Why scaling direct air capture matters for aviation
While much attention is given to emissions reduction, the aviation industry faces a significant challenge in addressing residual emissions that cannot be eliminated. As Stukas explains, “Major assessments on how to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, including those from the IPCC, conclude that limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees is going to require billions of tons of carbon dioxide removal alongside accelerated emission reduction.”
Stukas likens the DAC process of extracting CO2 from the atmosphere to photosynthesis, but with greater efficiency: “It is the same thing that plants and trees do every day as they photosynthesise.... The difference with direct air capture is that it does it much more quickly and with a smaller land footprint than trees.”
DAC technology directly captures CO2 from the atmosphere through an engineered system, enabling it to address emissions from any location at any time, unlike traditional carbon capture methods that utilise point sources of CO2, says Stukas.
This flexibility is especially crucial for aviation, where emissions sources are mobile and global. While the technology cannot replace emissions reduction efforts, it provides a necessary complement to existing solutions like SAF.
Five key pillars of scaling DAC technology
1. Building commercial-scale facilities
In 2023, 1PointFive began the construction of its STRATOS facility in Texas, which is expected to capture 500,000 tons of CO2 annually once fully operational. This is a significant scale up from Carbon Engineering’s Innovation Center, which can capture about 1,000 tons of CO2 per year, says Stukas.
To enable this scale-up, a modular approach to the existing technology was adopted, as Stukas explains, “What we’ve done is we’ve taken those [existing] units and we’ve made them slightly bigger, and then we’ve connected them together in a modular fashion… this allows us to leverage the economies of mass manufacturing.”
The scaling strategy reflects a carefully considered engineering approach. With an investment exceeding a billion dollars, the STRATOS facility serves as a prototype for future expansion.
1PointFive is already planning its next facility in South Texas, which is expected to capture up to 1 million tons of CO2 annually. Once fully built, this site could enable 30 large-scale DAC facilities, each capable of removing up to a million tons per year, says Stukas.
2. Fostering industry partnerships
The aviation sector has emerged as a key partner in scaling DAC technology. Airbus’s purchase of 400,000 tons of carbon removal credits has catalysed broader industry participation, with airlines like easyJet, Air Canada and Lufthansa subsequently joining the Airbus Carbon Capture Offer.
In 2023, ANA became the first airline to sign a purchase agreement with 1PointFive to acquire a total of 30,000 metric tonnes of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) credits. Further, Microsoft’s landmark agreement to purchase 500,000 metric tons of carbon removals over six years from 1PointFive demonstrates growing corporate support.
These partnerships not only provide crucial project financing but also help establish the market for high-integrity carbon removals. As Stukas notes, “It really highlights the increasing adoption of this climate technology as a solution to help organisations achieve net zero.”
3. Ensuring secure carbon storage
The permanent and secure storage of captured CO2 is a critical component in the DAC value chain. This complex process leverages decades of industry expertise, with 1PointFive’s parent company Oxy having managed underground CO2 storage since 1972, says Stukas. “We need the expertise and capability to securely and safely store billions of tons of carbon dioxide underground,” she emphasises.
The storage process itself combines sophisticated engineering with natural geological processes. Captured CO2 is compressed into what’s known as a supercritical liquid, a unique state where gas behaves like a liquid, and is then injected deep underground. Stukas breaks down this complex process with an accessible analogy:
“When storing carbon underground, you’re looking for rock that is solid on top of a rock that has very tiny pores… like a small sponge. Now, imagine pouring a cup of water onto a sandy beach, where the water is absorbed into the sand. The same concept applies here... Over time, the deep rocks retain moisture, and the carbon begins to dissolve into these liquids. Over geological timescales, it eventually transforms into calcium carbonate, the same substance found in seashells and limestone.”
This process of storing carbon occurs at depths of one to three kilometres, well below groundwater levels, where the CO2 undergoes a series of natural transformations. The entire operation is subject to rigorous oversight.
Each storage site undergoes extensive monitoring, reporting, and verification, regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “You quite literally put a flow meter on your DAC plant, and it tells you exactly how many CO2 molecules you’ve taken out of the air, and you can track that CO2 molecule all the way through to when you put it back underground,” Stukas explains. This precise measurement capability, combined with third-party verification, ensures transparency and accountability throughout the process.
4. Developing renewable energy infrastructure
The energy requirements of direct air capture facilities pose both a challenge and an opportunity for sustainable infrastructure development. “We believe that zero or very low-emission power is the foundation for developing direct air capture,” says Stukas. This approach also presents an opportunity to expand renewable energy infrastructure in areas where it might not otherwise be viable.
Stukas shares that 1PointFive’s parent company Oxy has entered into an agreement to supply zero-emission solar power for the STRATOS facility. Recent photos of STRATOS show a cleared area adjacent to the DAC plant, where a solar project is being developed to directly power the project, she adds.
This demonstrates how direct air capture can create opportunities to develop additional renewable energy projects that will support future facilities, such as the South Texas DAC hub, which also plans to rely on solar power for its electricity needs.
5. Creating local economic benefits
Beyond its environmental impact, DAC technology brings significant economic benefits to local communities. The STRATOS project alone will employ over 1,000 people during construction and 120 full-time staff when operational. More importantly, it creates opportunities for workforce development and STEM education.
Stukas highlights the broader impact: “DAC projects use many of the same skills that exist today in the energy industry, which creates an opportunity to leverage existing workforces and create new job opportunities.”
The scaling of DAC technology represents a crucial component of aviation’s path to net zero. DAC’s ability to address residual emissions while potentially providing feedstock for future sustainable aviation fuels makes it particularly valuable. However, Stukas emphasises that DAC is not a silver bullet:
“This is not a get-out-of-jail-free card. This doesn’t let us continue business-as-usual or absolve us of the responsibility to do all the other critical pieces of emissions reductions… We need all of the tools in our toolbox to solve the climate and energy challenge.”
‘Sustainability in the Air’ is the world’s leading podcast dedicated to sustainable aviation. Through in-depth conversations with top aviation leaders, we break through the clutter and provide a clear roadmap for a net-zero future.
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