US-based sustainable paint brand Smog Armor has announced plans to create a new direct air capture (DAC) facility that will extract carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere before being stored within manufactured concrete products.
Located in Casa Grande, Arizona, the 56,000 square foot plant will be established through a subsidiary named Monarch Carbon Solutions and will utilise Carbon Limit’s CaptureCrete technology.
The global buildings and construction sector is responsible for around 37% of emissions, with the production and use of materials such as cement, steel and aluminium responsible for a significant portion.
Using concrete as a carbon sink could capture two gigatonnes of CO2 per year, equivalent to almost 80% of annual global emissions from cement production, according to a white paper by sustainability consultant Tunley Environmental.
Expressing his personal motivation behind the launch of the new initiative, Rashad A. Davis, CEO of Smog Armor, said, “Growing up as a member of the Navajo Nation instilled a profound respect for nature and a deep-seated desire to bridge the gap between tradition and technology.”
“Surrounded by the natural beauty and the wisdom of my homeland, I learned early on the importance of maintaining harmony between humanity and the environment.”
As a homage to the company’s namesake, Monarch also plans to transform the grounds of the facility into a butterfly sanctuary to support the migratory Monarch Butterflies that traverse Southern Arizona each year.
Designated a threatened species in 2021 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the western population of Monarch butterflies has declined by an estimated 99.9% between the 1980s and 2021, from as many as ten million to 1,914.
The case for DAC to help reduce emissions lies in its ability to capture CO2 from the air anywhere, making it a flexible and versatile solution.
It can also capture CO2 from point sources such as power plants, factories and transportation in addition to enabling negative emissions.
However, the process requires a large amount of energy, which can be expensive and may require a renewable energy source to be sustainable.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the current capture cost for DAC is estimated at between $125 and $335 per tonne of CO2. With deployment and innovation, capture costs could fall to under $100 per tonne.
Since the start of 2020, governments have committed almost $4bn in funding specifically for DAC development and deployment. This includes $3.5bn to develop four DAC hubs and a $115m DAC Prize programme in the US.
At COP26 the US introduced Carbon Negative Shot, spotlighting DAC among CO2 removal approaches under $100 per tonne of CO2.
Private investment has also surged, with leading firms including Microsoft and United Airlines raising $125m since 2020.
According to the latest research, the global DAC market size was valued at $26.69m in 2024 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 58.33% during the forecast period, reaching $420.47m by 2031.
