The Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER), operating under the National Research Council of Science & Technology, has demonstrated a 19 kg/day Direct Air Capture (DAC) system—representing a nineteen-fold increase from its earlier 1 kg/day pilot and marking steady progress toward scalable carbon removal infrastructure.
The system has completed more than 1,000 hours of stable continuous operation, validating process reliability under extended runtime conditions. The demonstration generated critical performance data on sorbent durability, reactor pressure drop, thermal management efficiency, and cycle stability—core parameters required for industrial-scale deployment.
The DAC process utilizes an amine polymer–based dry sorbent developed in collaboration with KAIST. Ambient air is drawn into a modular reactor where CO₂ is selectively adsorbed. Controlled heating and vacuum regeneration release high-purity CO₂ exceeding 95% concentration, reducing downstream compression and liquefaction costs while enhancing suitability for storage or utilization pathways.
Engineering optimizations—including improved sorbent loading density, airflow control, and enhanced heat integration—enabled the rapid scale-up within a year. The current system’s daily capture capacity is estimated to be comparable to the carbon absorption of approximately 1,000 pine trees.
KIER’s roadmap includes scaling the process to 200 kg/day, with longer-term targets exceeding 1,000 tons annually by 2035.
As renewable energy continues to displace fossil-based generation, scalable DAC technologies address residual and legacy emissions—positioning carbon removal as a critical complement to solar and wind in achieving durable, net-zero energy systems.
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