How Direct Air Capture can complement aviation’s sustainability toolkit

In this episode, we talk to Anna Stukas, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at 1PointFive, who shares insights into how direct air capture (DAC) technology works and its crucial role in aviation’s journey to net zero. 

Stukas, who has been working in carbon capture since 2015, discusses her role in commercialising DAC technology and developing strategic partnerships to scale this critical climate solution.

Stukas discusses:

1. The fundamental role of DAC in climate action, explaining how it captures CO2 directly from the atmosphere through an engineered system that mimics natural processes but operates more efficiently and with a smaller land footprint than trees.
2. The scalability of DAC technology, exemplified by the STRATOS facility in Texas which, once completed, will capture up to 500,000 tons of CO2 annually.
3. The critical importance of industry partnerships, including Airbus’s pre-purchase of 400,000 tons of carbon removal and subsequent agreements with airlines like easyJet, Air Canada, and Lufthansa; as well as Microsoft’s landmark 500,000 metric tons purchase agreement.
4. The secure storage of captured CO2 deep underground, where it mineralises into calcium carbonate over geological timescales.
5. The integration with renewable energy infrastructure, with facilities like STRATOS being powered by adjacent solar installations, creating additional opportunities for clean energy development.
6. The complementary relationship between DAC and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with DAC addressing residual emissions while potentially serving as a future feedstock for SAF production.

Throughout the conversation, Stukas emphasises that while DAC is not a “get-out-of-jail-free card”, it represents an essential tool in aviation’s decarbonisation toolkit. 

If you LOVED this episode, you’ll also love the conversation we had with Jane Ashton, Director of Sustainability at easyJet. Check it out here. 

Learn more about the innovators who are navigating the industry’s challenges to make sustainable aviation a reality, in our new book ‘Sustainability in the Air’. Click here to learn more.

Feel free to reach out via email to podcast@simpliflying.com. For more content on sustainable aviation, visit our website green.simpliflying.com and join the movement. It’s about time.

Links & More:

1PointFive
Ector County DAC - STRATOS - 1PointFive
Occidental’s 1PointFive secures funding of up to $500 million from US DOE - Reuters
1PointFive announces agreement to sell 500,000 metric tons of direct air capture carbon removal credits to Microsoft - GlobeNewswire
ANA and easyJet commit to buying carbon dioxide removal credits from 1PointFive’s Texas DAC facility - GreenAir News