Decarbonizing industries require carbon capture solutions that are both scalable and replicable. In response, the Monash Carbon Capture and Conversion (MC³) team addresses this challenge through a pilot-rig project focused on electrochemistry and direct air capture (DAC), with the dual aim of removing atmospheric CO₂ and producing valuable products as a form of storage. Our approach integrates DAC with Electrochemically Mediated Amine Regeneration (EMAR) and electrochemical CO₂ conversion to formic acid.

The method integrates four interconnected reactors. It begins with a packed bed liquid contractor, where glycine acts as a sorbent to capture CO₂. Downstream, copper ions are introduced within the EMAR Cell to displace CO₂ at significantly lower energy costs than conventional thermal regeneration and CO₂ is released into a gas stream via flash tank. Finally, the reactor electrochemically reduces CO₂ into formic acid, a valuable chemical feedstock. Together, these units create a closed-loop process coupling capture with utilization.

Over four months, the team designed and built three of the reactors, conducted more than 25 experiments, and used computational modelling and electrochemical characterization to validate feasibility. At lab scale, EMAR achieved an estimated energy cost of ~$17 USD/tCO₂, while the formic acid cell demonstrated a net energy cost of ~$131 USD/tCO₂ when considering product value. With a capital cost of USD$12.3K, the proposed 1 kg/day pilot rig shows strong potential for scaling and replication.

By integrating DAC with direct utilization, this system provides a location-agnostic, energy-efficient pathway for supplying carbon-negative formic acid. This approach not only demonstrates technological novelty but also offers a scalable solution for advancing CCS implementation in today’s industry. Additionally, MC3 being an engineering student team, this pilot rig offers practical and theoretical education for tertiary and secondary students, further cultivating the growth of electrochemical and DAC based CCS solutions.