UK-based climate tech company Mission Zero Technologies (MZT) has opened a direct air capture (DAC) plant in Norfolk, in the east of England, integrating captured carbon dioxide into a limestone production process to create carbon-negative building materials.
Developed in partnership with UK waste tech business OCO Technology, the site is understood to be the UK’s first facility to integrate DAC directly into the production of construction materials, making them carbon-negative.
The project is backed by the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and funded via the UK government’s Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, which supports the deployment of low-carbon technologies.
MZT’s electrochemical DAC system will capture around 250 tonnes of CO2 annually, which will be fed into OCO’s carbonation technology to produce “manufactured limestone” – a carbon-negative aggregate that permanently sequesters CO2.
The construction industry is responsible for nearly 40% of global CO2 emissions, according to the International Energy Agency, making it a key target for decarbonisation efforts.
A solar powered DAC system launched by MZT in 2023 ©Sky News
“With the construction sector being one of the largest contributors to global carbon emissions, the industry needs to rapidly rethink its carbon backbone, and creating sustainable building materials which double as carbon sinks is a great way to do just that,” said Dr Nicholas Chadwick, CEO at MZT.
MZT claims its DAC process uses three to five times less energy than conventional methods, which are typically energy- and cost-intensive. The company has said its technology is modular, scalable, and designed to fit with renewable energy sources.
Capturing CO2 from ambient air is more energy- and cost-intensive than from point sources due to its low concentration. DAC costs currently range from $200 to $1,000 per tonne, with energy demands of up to 2,200 kWh per tonne. In contrast, point-source capture typically ranges from $15 to $120 per tonne, depending on concentration levels.
MZT next plans to expand its operations internationally, including a DAC project in Canada with Deep Sky Labs focused on permanent geological CO2 storage.
