The approach
The 280 Earth system works continuously by pulling air into contact with a proprietary sorbent developed by their team that captures the CO₂. The CO₂-rich sorbent is conveyed to a vacuum chamber that is kept at a constant temperature and pressure, where it releases the CO₂. The pure stream of CO₂ can then be permanently stored underground or mineralized in concrete.
280 Earth can use industrial waste heat or electricity to power their process. When integrated with data centers, which generate significant amounts of heat and require substantial cooling, 280 Earth’s approach also provides the additional benefit of reliable cooling capacity, reducing water usage. As the growth of artificial intelligence increases the demand for data processing, the need for data cooling is forecasted to grow significantly, further expanding the scenarios where DAC systems could be integrated into data centers.
The case for 280 Earth
The system uses less energy by employing a continuous process and separate chambers for adsorption and desorption. Many DAC technologies rely on a batch process for adjusting the temperature and pressure of a single chamber for binding and separating CO₂ from the sorbent. 280 Earth instead moves the sorbent continuously between two separate, gravity-fed chambers. This “move the car, not the factory” approach reduces the energy loss associated with reheating, cooling, and changing the pressure of a single chamber.
It can be powered by heat from several sources, including industrial waste heat. Data centers and other industrial operations generate large amounts of waste heat that cannot be easily repurposed. 280 Earth’s facility can be situated to use the waste heat and provide cooling services. The system can alternatively operate effectively on 100% electricity.
The system is faster and less expensive to build because it is modular. Commercially-available components can be purchased in bulk, customized where needed, and skid-mounted for straightforward transportation and integration. This design avoids the costs and delays associated with commissioning proprietary parts and assembling them on site.
280 Earth has a strong team and partnerships. The 280 Earth technology was developed for over five years internally at X, the moonshot factory, which enabled them to create a sorbent that is high performing and physically stable, as well as design an energy-efficient process from the ground up. From the outset, 280 Earth has collaborated closely with equipment manufacturers as well as engineering and construction partners to design and test components and processes. These partnerships have helped expand its team’s team capacity and build a foundation for scale.
Pricing and delivery
Frontier buyers’ total offtake is $40 million for 61,571 tons to be delivered between 2024 and 2030 at their pilot facility in The Dalles, Oregon. The price accounts for both the removal itself as well as measuring, reporting and verifying (MRV) that each ton is safely and permanently stored. This agreement includes key milestones that must be met prior to delivery, including sharing a community benefits plan, signing an agreement for clean electricity, and securing permits for storage.
280 Earth's pilot DAC facility in Oregon.