Global Thermostat, a climate technology product manufacturing company, has commissioned its first containerized T-Series system for direct air capture of carbon dioxide.
The T-series module builds on the company's direct air capture operations. The new system aims to capture carbon directly from the atmosphere, targeting smaller commercial and pilot applications.
Direct air capture is a promising climate change mitigation platform, with the ability to remove and sequester CO2 from the atmosphere. It is being explored globally, such as in the United Kingdom where a new market is being set up to incentivize competition over the next several years.
Carbon capture is also popular as an environmental solution in the iron and steel industries, though some have noted the technology does not address the underlying carbon emissions in these carbon-heavy industries.
The T-series adds to Global Thermostat’s K-series modules, which have the capacity of 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year and have been operating since 2022 at the company’s headquarters near Denver. In addition, Global Thermostat has its M-series modules, which are even larger and can be grouped together to capture a megaton, or 1 million tons, of carbon per year. The M-series was designed with engineering firms and support from the Department of Energy.
The first T-series system was created to supply a project, “Microalgae commodities production with a direct air capture process.” The project will supply captured carbon directly to strains of algae selected for the project at the site in Hawaii. It will enhance the production of microalgae biomass for renewable fuels in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, according to Global Thermostat.
The T-series can fit on a container and can be delivered by road, rail, or ship. It is powered by a single electrical feed that can be integrated with renewable power sources. It operates autonomously to produce high-purity, pressurized CO2.
“Many companies are seeking a rapidly deployable, low-footprint, climate-friendly way of obtaining the carbon dioxide they need,” said Paul Nahi, CEO of Global Thermostat. “Others are interested in piloting a smaller scale Direct Air Capture solution as they plan higher volume deployments in the future. The T-Series is for them, and it complements the larger-scale units that we offer for climate-relevant carbon dioxide removal and other large capacity carbon utilization applications that require non-fossil CO2.”
The project was funded by DOE -- and done in collaboration with researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory -- as part of the agency’s overall efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and boost production of biofuels.
“We are excited to participate with our partners in this first direct air capture system delivering CO2 to an algae farm, a key requirement for the future development of a large-scale algae industry,” Dr. John Benemann, CEO of MicroBio Engineering, said in a statement.
The project was supported by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, in the Bioenergy Technologies Office, and MicroBioEngineering will deploy the T-Series system in collaboration with Cyanotech Corporation.
