Mission Zero Tech: Developing Direct Air Capture

Mission Zero Technologies is developing Direct Air Capture, a technology that directly removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

The urgency of the climate crisis demands innovative solutions, and among the most promising is Direct Air Capture (DAC), a technology that directly removes carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere.

A group of scientists and engineers pioneering DAC came together to form Mission Zero Technologies, a company driven by a vision to transform CO₂ from a pollutant into a valuable resource.

Mission Zero's story began with a shared realization among its founders Gaël Gobaille-Shaw, Shiladitya Ghosh, and Nick Chadwick. These chemists and chemical engineers recognized the potential of DAC to address climate change effectively. This is based on the belief that CO₂ is not merely a harmful gas but a versatile building block that can be used to create a wide array of products, from fuels and building materials to even food and clothing.

"The long-term goal is about CO₂ becoming a cheaply available resource that can start to enable the displacement of fossil fuels and to change the way that we use carbon and save the world," Nick explains.

By efficiently harnessing atmospheric carbon, Mission Zero aims to create a sustainable, circular carbon economy, ending our dependence on fossil fuels and rebalancing the climate.

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The Science Behind the Solution

Inspired by the natural processes of respiration, Mission Zero has developed a novel electrochemical solution for DAC that utilizes only water, a catalyst, and renewable electricity to extract CO₂ from the air. The approach offers several advantages, including a small land footprint and the potential for global deployment.

"The world needs a more sustainable source of carbon, and we believe DAC is the way that gets achieved," Nick explains.

The early results of Mission Zero's system have been groundbreaking, showcasing its potential to be one of the fastest and most efficient methods of direct air capture.

From Lab to Reality

Since its inception in 2020, Mission Zero has rapidly grown from a concept to a tangible solution. The company has assembled a team of experts in electrochemistry and chemical engineering, fostering a culture of innovation and ownership. They have built their own research and development labs, designing and iterating their technology entirely in-house. This dedication has enabled them to deploy their first DAC plant at a customer's site in just three years.

"I'm an optimist," Nick shares. "I believe that people have a view that DAC will be cost-competitive in 2050—I think it'll be cost-competitive before 2030."

Mission Zero understands that scaling DAC to the levels required to meet global climate goals demands collaboration.

"We wish things had been sorted out 30 years ago," Nick says. "There is no other way to deal with the amount of carbon in the atmosphere alongside all the other systems that have been proposed. So DAC just has to be built."

Mission Zero has partnered with visionary investors and organizations who share the belief in creating a better future. These partnerships have provided crucial funding and support, enabling Mission Zero to accelerate the development and deployment of its technology.

Does Carbon Deserve Its Bad Reputation?

"Carbon has this bad reputation now because most of the carbon economy comes from fossil fuels," Nick explains.

"But actually, carbon is the thing that closes houses, feeds us, moves us around. Carbon is the backbone of what has made the human condition better every single year. The issue here is not that carbon is bad itself—it's where we get carbon that's the issue. What we want to do is enable a new sustainable source of carbon within society.

"We've known how to turn CO₂ into basically every product we need, including building materials, plastics, chemicals, fuels, vodka, and yoga mats for years. It's just you can't get the CO₂. The CO₂ supply chain is the actual problem that's limiting the growth of those technologies. If you actually have a cheap, abundant source of CO₂, these technologies can start to replace fossil fuel-based carbon in our economy.

"There is already a $10 billion market for CO₂ as a commodity gas, primarily in the food, drink, and construction sectors. There is a growing demand, from a policy perspective, for synthetic fuels to be included in all planes by 2025.

"Fundamentally, what this project is about is enabling integration certification of synthetic fuels made from CO₂, but then we also need to remove an obscene amount of CO₂ from the atmosphere. What we need is a technology that can take CO₂ from its own location, purify it, and provide that CO₂ as a carbon source for whatever industry wants it. I think the verticals that make the most sense economically and from a climate perspective are building materials, because one, we're not going to stop building things, and you could view every city we make as a huge carbon sink if you can inject this into making the building material have its own economic value in the marketplace."

Versatility and Impact

Mission Zero's DAC technology is designed to be versatile, capable of integrating into various processes and locations. This flexibility allows for a wide range of applications, including the production of sustainable fuels from air and the creation of carbon-negative building materials.

Beyond capturing carbon, Mission Zero is involved in projects that mineralize CO₂ into rock, promoting a gold-standard solution for permanent carbon removal.

Responsible Development

Mission Zero recognizes the responsibility that comes with developing a technology that has the potential to reshape the world's relationship with carbon. The company is committed to ensuring that its technology is used for good, preventing its misuse by entities seeking to prolong climate-destroying activities. It also emphasizes the importance of understanding the potential impacts of gigatonne-scale DAC deployments on communities, environments, and supply chains. The team is dedicated to engaging with stakeholders and establishing robust frameworks and regulations to ensure the responsible development and deployment of DAC.

"We don't view direct air capture as a silver bullet," Nick emphasizes. "It's just another solution alongside the whole roster of others."

As it continues to scale operations and expand partnerships, Mission Zero is paving the way for a future where CO₂ is no longer a threat but a valuable resource that drives a sustainable, circular economy.