Four subprojects comprehensively research the Direct Air Capture and Storage (DACS) technology. The generated knowledge is made available to stakeholders from industry, politics, and society via the DACStorE-Transformation Hub. The newly founded Helmholtz Research School trains young scientists in the interdisciplinary research field of negative emission technology.
The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report shows the unavoidable requirement of negative emissions pathways to reach the 2-degree climate target. More in-depth transformation scenarios of members of the consortia show that land usage change and reforestation alone will not solve the problem. Instead, large scale negative emissions technologies are required; amongst those, direct air capture and storage (DACS) seems promising.
Therefore, the goal of the project DACStorE (A Comprehensive Approach to Harnessing the Innovation Potential of Direct Air Capture and Storage for Reaching CO2 Neutrality) is to prepare for a large and sustainable scale-up of DACS technology. Six Helmholtz-Centers and the TU Berlin investigate technical solutions for CO2-capture from ambient air and its storage in geological formations. In an open technology approach three promising DAC technology paths are investigated, compared, and further developed into prototypes. A major focus is on reducing energy requirements and improving scale-up opportunities by developing and testing suitable materials, plant designs and operational concepts. Additionally, requirements posed by large-scale industrial manufacturing are addressed already in the early development phase. In addition to these technical properties, the economic and ecological aspects of the technologies are investigated, including societal acceptability and legal framework conditions. The aim is to tailor technology options and their operational concepts to the given local conditions. Furthermore, important requirements will be pointed out to technology developers already at an early stage of development in order to enable a successful market introduction and market ramp-up.
An essential aspect of this project is the exchange with stakeholders from industry, society, and politics, who will ultimately implement the sustainable market ramp-up. Consequently, the ‘DACStorE-Transformation Hub’ is being established as a single point of contact for DACS technology consulting and co-creation in Germany. At the time of the funding application, well-known industrial companies and other relevant stakeholders have already expressed great interest in actively participating in the consortium, which will grow over the project duration.
The newly founded ‘Helmholtz Research School for Negative Emission Technologies’ supports young scientists during their research in the DACStorE project and offers a structured education in the field of negative emission technology. In addition to technical training, the school places a special focus on fostering transdisciplinary thinking and personal career development.
More detailed information about the project is available at the:
This joint research project is part of the research campaign “Helmholtz Sustainability Challenge”. For further information on the research campaigns as well as videos with project overviews, please go to: https://www.helmholtz.de/forschung/forschungskampagne/.
If you are interested in more information about the DACStorE project and/or a participation of your institution in the ‘DACStorE Network’, please contact us at dacstore-info@fz-juelich.de.
Project Partners:
Forschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Energy and Climate Research:
IEK-1
IEK-3 (overall project coordination)
IEK-8
IEK-14
IEK-STE
Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie
Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon:
Institute of Membrane Research
Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS)
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research
Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam / Deutsches Geoforschungszentrum
Karlsruher Institute of Technology:
Institute of Functional Interfaces (IFG)
Institute for Micro Process Engineering (IMVT)
Technische Universität Berlin:
Institute of Chemistry
Project Coordination:
Dr. Freia Harzendorf und Dr. Dhana Wolf
dacstore-info@fz-juelich.de
The Helmholtz-Association funds the DACStorE project within the research campaign “Helmholtz Sustainability Challenge” as part of the first call for Core Projects of this Campaign of the Initiative and Networking Fund (grant agreement number: KA2-HSC-12; funding period: September 2022 to August 2027). Please find more information on the funding program here.