Germany and Spain team up for groundbreaking carbon capture system in Brazil
DACMA and Repsol launch the first industrial Direct Air Capture system in South America, capable of capturing 300 tonnes of CO2 annually.
German Direct Air Capture (DAC) developer DACMA, in collaboration with the Spanish energy company Repsol, has successfully launched an industrial DAC system in Porto Alegre, Brazil. This project, which was first introduced in 2022, has culminated in the completion of the development phase by DACMA, which has now handed over operations to the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS).
The system, consisting of five units, was constructed in Hamburg, Germany, before being shipped to Brazil for installation at the PUCRS IPR campus. With an annual capacity to capture 300 tonnes of carbon dioxide, this facility marks a significant achievement as the first of its kind in South America.
This recent advancement builds on the groundwork laid by a prototype DAC system activated at the same site in April 2024, which demonstrated the technology's viability with a capability of capturing 15 tonnes of CO2 per year. The functionality of the prototype served as a crucial stepping stone in validating the DAC technology, which has now been scaled up for industrial application.
In a related development, DACMA is progressing on another DAC project aimed at expanding its carbon removal capacity to 5,000 tonnes of CO2 annually in Salvador de Bahia. The initial feasibility study for this project has been completed, and a strategic Memorandum of Understanding has been signed to support its advancement.
The Carbon Herald reports that in October 2023, DACMA welcomed Repsol Energy Venture S.A. as a new shareholder, further enhancing their collaborative efforts in this sector. Mica Taborga Claure, Senior Researcher-DAC Technical Lead at Repsol, commented on the milestone, stating, “Thrilled to share that a 3-year journey at Repsol, focused on developing a Negative Emissions Open R&D Framework in Brazil, reached a milestone with the start-up of a 300-ton/year DAC demo unit (FOAK in South America)!” She further noted, “What seemed impossible 3 years ago is now a reality—showing that technologies like DAC can help build a net-zero future.”
Source: Noah Wire Services