Pilot Project Near Shafter Removes Carbon, Produces Water

A demonstration project near Shafter is testing technology for removing carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere without the need for water — a big advantage in Kern, which has plenty of the resources required except that one.

Avnos Inc. calls this approach hybrid direct air capture (HDAC). This year, the Los Angeles-New Jersey startup raised $36 million on the promise that its patented approach can be scaled up around the world at a lower cost, with fewer barriers, and possibly more local buy-in than other technology on the market.

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Avnos, founded in May 2020, licenses out its technology instead of building its own large projects. As such, it is a partner in four direct air carbon removal projects — two proposed in Kern — that the U.S. Department of Energy has selected for multimillion-dollar grants for addressing climate change.

The company says it is also working with the U.S. Office of Naval Research at a scale 15 times larger than the facility north of Bakersfield.

Avnos' machine dehumidifies air before using chemicals to soak up CO2. Heat produced in the process is then redirected for use in releasing the gas and water.

The model being tested north of Bakersfield, called Project Alpine, collects but does not currently store CO2. With a capacity of 30 metric tons of CO2 per year, it produces five times that amount of distilled water, or about 39,626 gallons per year.

Avnos says other direct air capture technologies work the opposite way, consuming 4 to 10 tons of water to remove a single ton of carbon while also requiring more energy. This distinction makes Avnos' technology "highly deployable," it says, requiring relatively little supporting infrastructure and providing a tangible benefit for neighbors.

"Avnos has, by design, addressed potential barriers to scaling because of the urgency we feel to cool the planet and capture the global, economic opportunity," the company said by email.

In Kern, large-scale carbon removal projects enabled by government and private investment have stoked hopes of local economic development gains. Though skeptics continue to object for safety and other reasons, the new industry of carbon management views Kern as ideal for its geology, infrastructure, and industrial know-how.

Future projects Avnos plans in Kern are expected to provide engineering, construction, and maintenance jobs, many of them expected to leverage transferable skills from legacy energy employment, the company said. It noted it is involved in workforce "upskilling" efforts with the Kern Community College District, its California Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Kern Economic Development Corp.

On July 31, Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, toured the HDAC. He said later in a news release, "It was great to learn more about how this kind of carbon removal technology can be used to remove legacy emissions and protect energy jobs in our community."