How much CO₂ can DAC actually remove?
The short answer is: potentially billions of tonnes per year, but current deployment is tiny. A 2023 global assessment found that all non-land-management carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects—including DAC, bioenergy with carbon capture, and biochar—together remove only about 2 million tonnes of CO₂ per year [2]. That is less than 0.1% of what most climate scenarios require by 2050. Those scenarios project that total CDR (mostly DAC and other engineered methods) must grow by 75–100% per year between 2020 and 2030, adding roughly 300 to 2,500 million tonnes of capacity [2].
On the technical side, a 2026 U.S.-focused study estimated that low-temperature, adsorbent-based DAC could remove up to 9 billion tonnes of CO₂ annually, given available land, renewable electricity, and geologic storage [4]. That is roughly one-quarter of current global annual emissions. However, achieving that potential depends on costs dropping below $300 per tonne, which the same study says is possible by 2050 for many locations, but not guaranteed [4].
The bottom line: DAC can theoretically remove enough to matter, but we are nowhere near that scale today. The gap between current deployment and needed deployment is enormous—a factor of thousands.
What are the biggest obstacles to scaling DAC?
Two major hurdles stand out: energy consumption and cost. A 2024 review notes that DAC systems require 2,000–3,000 kilowatt-hours of energy per tonne of CO₂ captured, mostly for running fans and heating sorbents to release the CO₂ [6]. That is a lot of energy—equivalent to about 10–15% of a typical U.S. household's annual electricity use for just one tonne. If that energy comes from fossil fuels, the net climate benefit shrinks dramatically. A 2026 study found that the method used to account for grid electricity emissions can change the calculated net removal by -1,049% to +108%, meaning a poorly sited DAC plant could actually increase emissions if it runs on a dirty grid [3].
Cost is the other big barrier. The same 2026 study found that even with optimistic assumptions, many DAC projects would cost over $300 per tonne of CO₂ removed [4]. For context, many carbon credits trade for under $50 per tonne. A 2021 review highlighted that learning-by-doing and material improvements could drive costs down, but that requires large-scale deployment first—a chicken-and-egg problem [8].
There are also technical challenges specific to capturing CO₂ from ambient air (at just 420 parts per million). New materials like covalent organic frameworks (COFs) show promise—one 2022 study reported a 1,360-fold increase in CO₂ uptake compared to the base material [5]—but these are still lab-scale. Moisture-swing sorbents that release CO₂ when exposed to humid air offer a low-energy alternative, but their performance depends heavily on pore structure and chemistry [7].
Where and for whom does DAC make sense?
DAC is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Its viability depends heavily on location, energy source, and storage options. A 2023 life-cycle assessment of a hypothetical 1-million-tonne DAC plant in Ireland found that the best sites are near depleted gas fields (for CO₂ storage) and have access to reliable low-carbon heat and electricity [1]. The study emphasized that pipeline distance to storage is a major cost driver, favoring coastal counties near the Kinsale and Corrib gas fields [1].
In the U.S., a 2026 study modeled DAC performance in California, Louisiana, Texas, and Wyoming, and found that the single most important factor determining net climate benefit was the emissions intensity of the purchased electricity [3]. In states with a clean grid (like parts of California), DAC can achieve genuine net removal; in states with coal-heavy grids, it may not. The study also noted that no single accounting method is universally accurate, and better data and standards are urgently needed [3].
For the voluntary carbon market, DAC is attractive because it offers permanent storage (unlike forest carbon offsets, which can be reversed by fire or logging). A 2026 study found that using reversible CDR (like soil carbon) as a bridge to durable DAC storage could be cost-effective—$0.20–0.81 billion per microdegree of cooling—but carries risk if institutional commitments lapse [9]. So DAC is most valuable for buyers who want guaranteed, permanent removal, even at a higher price.
Sources used in this answer
Life cycle assessment of a direct air capture and storage plant in Ireland
A life-cycle assessment of a 1-million-tonne DAC plant in Ireland found feasibility depends heavily on pipeline distance to storage and access to low-carbon energy, favoring coastal counties near gas fields.
Quantifying global carbon dioxide removal deployment
Global CDR deployment is ~1,985 MtCO₂/yr, but almost all (1,983 Mt) is from land-use changes; engineered CDR like DAC removes only ~2 MtCO₂/yr, far below the ~300–2,500 Mt needed by 2030 in climate scenarios.
Energy Emissions Accounting Methods Can Determine Whether Direct Air Capture with Storage Achieves Net Removal.
The accounting method for grid electricity emissions can vary net removal by -1,049% to +108%, making it the dominant factor in determining whether a DAC plant achieves net removal.
The Potential and Cost of Carbon Dioxide Removal Using Direct Air Capture with Land-Based Wind and Utility-Scale Photovoltaics
Low-temperature adsorbent-based DAC in the U.S. has a technical potential of ~9 GtCO₂/yr, with a substantial portion achievable below $300/tonne by 2050, though costs vary widely by location and scale.
Covalent Organic Frameworks for Carbon Dioxide Capture from Air
A covalent organic framework (COF-609) incorporating amine groups showed a 1,360-fold increase in CO₂ uptake over the pristine framework, with a further 29% enhancement under humid conditions.
Atmospheric alchemy: The energy and cost dynamics of direct air carbon capture
DAC processes require 2,000–3,000 kWh per tonne of CO₂ captured, mainly for fan operation and sorbent regeneration, highlighting the need for energy efficiency and renewable integration.
Structure-Property Relationships for Moisture-Swing Direct Air Capture.
Moisture-swing DAC on ion-exchange resins showed that macroporous resins with intermediate pore sizes outperform gel-type resins; performance depends jointly on ammonium functionality and counteranion choice.
A review of direct air capture (DAC): scaling up commercial technologies and innovating for the future
A review of commercial DAC processes (solid sorbents and liquid solvents) emphasizes that learning-by-doing and material improvements are key to reducing costs and scaling up.
The Value of Reversible Carbon Storage in a Zero-Emissions World.
Using reversible CDR (e.g., soil carbon) as a bridge to durable DAC storage is more cost-effective ($0.20–0.81 billion per μ°C avoided) than immediate durable CDR, but carries risk if institutional commitments lapse.