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Will Direct Air Capture Become Cost-Competitive Alongside Other Carbon Removal Methods?

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Last Updated 1 week ago

ScienceDirect "we find that costs could drop to $100-600 t-CO2-1 by 2050."Jan 15, 2026

Sciencedirect

"A capture cost of US$100/tonne of CO2 removed is the eventual industry target because widespread adoption from governments and corporations alike could be achieved at this level."May 28, 2025

IDTechEx

"Holocene is projecting a non-subsidized price of $280 per ton by the time it officially reaches production in the early 2030s."Sep 24, 2024

Trellis

BCG"We believe that reducing DAC costs to $150 per ton of CO2 or below is achievable, but getting there is going to be a stretch."Jan 15, 2026

Bcg

"Both presenters speculated on the cost per net ton of DAC-extracted CO2 in 2030, but concurred on the difficulty of coming up with accurate cost estimates, given uncertainties in operational and market conditions."Jan 15, 2026

Climate

"Industry analysts agree that crossing below $200 per ton, and ideally reaching $100-150 per ton, represents the tipping point where DAC becomes economically sustainable."Jan 15, 2026

Decarbonfuse.Com

"The more DAC built, the cheaper it will become."Jul 24, 2024

Trellis

"Generation 3 technology represents a major milestone in Climeworks’ cost reduction strategy, which aims to achieve costs of 250-350 USD per ton captured and total costs of 400-600 USD per ton net removal by 2030. "May 23, 2024

Climeworks

"Heirloom’s technology is expected to bring down the cost to $100 per ton CO2 by 2035."Jan 15, 2026

Silicon Valley

"The direct air capture industry is racing toward a transformative milestone: cutting costs from today's $600 per ton to an ambitious $100-150 range by 2050."Jan 15, 2026

Decarbonfuse.Com

"Aspirational goals of DACCS costs of $100/tCO2 seem unlikely to be achieved even in the longer term."Nov 30, 2023

Belfercenter

ETH Zurich"Their findings suggest that the process developed by Swiss company Climeworks, in which a solid filter with a large surface area traps CO2 particles, could cost between 280 and 580 US dollars per tonne by 2050."Mar 04, 2024

ETH Zurich

IEA"DAC costs could fall below USD 100/tCO2 by 2030."Jan 15, 2026

Iea

“They have extrapolated their efficiency gains realized in testing to gain confidence they can hit the desired cost levels in the early 2030’s timeframe.”Sep 24, 2024

Trellis

"At present, it is not possible to predict which of the available technologies will prevail. It is therefore crucial that we continue to pursue all the options."Mar 04, 2024

ScienceDaily

"The cost of Direct Air Capture, or DAC, technology is expected to drop as low as $250-$300/mtCO2e by the end of this decade for a range of a multi-megaton capacity."Jan 15, 2026

Will Direct Air Capture Become Cost-Competitive Alongside Other Carbon Removal Methods?

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BCG

IEA

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