US-based company Sustaera reports a performance milestone in its direct air capture (DAC) technology, saying that it can significantly reduce the cost of carbon removal projects.
The company states that its proprietary electro-thermal approach pulls CO2 from the air at three to five times lower capital costs than alternative methods and demonstrates operational efficiencies three to four times higher than prevailing thermal technologies thanks to its nano-structured sorbent technology and integrated electric heating.
Cory Sanderson, Sustaera CTO, says: “Thermal technologies max out at around 40% efficiency. We’ve recently achieved 90%+ efficiency, using far less capital than traditional thermal approaches, and we’re still innovating.”
Sustaera says these results put the company on a credible path to sub-$100 per ton carbon removal, a threshold often described as critical for widespread market adoption. The company adds that this positions DAC to compete with emerging carbon removal approaches such as biochar.
The company notes that DAC technology has historically struggled to deliver on its promises, with incumbents generating only a small fraction of the carbon removal credits they sell. First-generation high-temperature technologies are inflexible and unable to achieve carbon-negative operations, while second-generation technologies improve efficiencies but still require large baseload power supplies that are increasingly costly and constrained.
Sustaera has previously partnered with leading carbon removal buyers, including Stripe and Shopify. The company says its validated efficiencies, combined with a new technology licensing model, further reduce risk. Sustaera adds that it is now in advanced discussions with leading carbon removal developers.
Ben Gardner, Sustaera CEO, says: “Developers can now capture carbon cost-effectively, whether for sequestration or utilization. The technology is beautifully simple. It delivers measurable results and is easy to scale—potentially even without a grid connection.”
Backed by the U.S. Department of Energy, the XPRIZE for Carbon Removal, Breakthrough Energy Ventures (BEV), the Grantham Trust’s Neglected Climate Opportunities (NGO) and RMI’s Third Derivative accelerator, Sustaera says it is positioned to capture a significant share of the future $100 billion-plus carbon removal market, particularly in water-constrained areas, as the technology uses no water and produces pure water as a byproduct.