Bill Gates-backed startup aims to capture carbon and cool earth
The startup Mission Zero Technologies, supported by Bill Gates, has already raised over 27 million dollars to develop direct carbon dioxide capture from the atmosphere. This funding will allow for the recovery of up to 1,100 tons of carbon annually.
The current climate situation is concerning—despite the growth of renewable energy sources, greenhouse gas emissions are still on the rise. The year 2024 is set to become the hottest in history, with the average temperature on Earth reaching 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial levels for the first time. In this context, the British startup Mission Zero Technologies is focusing on revolutionizing carbon dioxide capture technology to help combat the climate crisis.
How does CO2 air capture work?
What does capturing carbon dioxide from the air entail? The company employs continuous electrochemical separations to absorb CO2 using liquid solutions. This technology is inspired by the natural biological processes of carbon dioxide management in the human body. The startup has already raised over 27 million dollars for the project. This will enable the recovery of up to 1,100 tons of carbon annually. Among the investors is Bill Gates.
Unlike CCS, which stands for carbon capture and storage technology, DAC (Direct Air Capture) retrieves carbon dioxide from the air but not during the combustion of fossil fuels. As the world exceeds Paris Agreement targets, innovations like DAC become essential to stabilize atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Expanding the utilization of CO2 is key to enabling this technology's large-scale commercial deployment.
Three capture systems are already operational
Mission Zero Technologies has three DAC systems in the UK and Canada. In Canada, they collaborate with Deep Sky on a project aimed at ultimately removing up to a million tons of CO2 annually.
“If you can find ways to utilise CO2, then you can actually change the narrative on that and provide alternative pathways for carbon-based products to make our relationship with carbon more sustainable,” said Nicholas Chadwick, co-founder and CEO of MZT, in an interview with "The Engineer".
Goal: recover one billion tons of CO2 annually
The company aims to recover one billion tons of atmospheric carbon dioxide each year and promote a decentralized source of thrust for products made from atmospheric CO2. Mission Zero Technologies works with partners like Stripe, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and the UK government to accelerate the pathway for megaton-scale carbon dioxide removal by the end of the decade.
Currently, the company is running three projects, each with a different application for CO2. The University of Sheffield’s Translational Energy Research Centre is producing sustainable aviation fuels from air and water. In Norfolk, OCO Technology is combining CO2 with fly ash to create carbon-negative limestone. In Montreal, Canada, Deep Sky is working on sequestering CO2 in rocks, creating carbon credits.
Mission Zero Technologies is a British company based in London, founded in 2020. It specializes in developing innovative technologies for capturing carbon dioxide directly from the air (Direct Air Capture, DAC). Their systems are designed to be modular and energy-efficient, facilitating rapid scaling and adaptation to various climatic and industrial conditions. Mission Zero's solutions focus on the efficient use of CO2, which must first be effectively captured from the atmosphere.
