Mission Zero Technologies is leading the charge in the UK’s carbon removal industry, aiming to accelerate critical Net Zero pathways with its Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology. Its innovative approach is not only affordable but also scalable to any size, enabling it to recover carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere anywhere in the world for permanent removal or sustainable use.
Essex-based Mission Zero Technologies is an early-stage start-up set to transform the CO2 supply chain through its affordable direct air capture (DAC) technology, which can scale to any size.
DAC technologies recover historic CO2 directly from the atmosphere. This is different to carbon capture technologies which operate at the point of new CO2 emissions, such as industrial processes. Being a nascent carbon removal technology, DAC has a steep growth curve ahead of it to reach scalability and affordability.
However, DAC technology remains a critical part of the race towards Net Zero, as it provides a means to rapidly eliminate historic emissions and decarbonise hard-to-abate industries such as aviation, shipping and construction. Mission Zero Technologies is already connecting its technology around the world to enable both use cases, working with carbon removal developers to permanently store CO2 in rock, as well as utilisation partners creating sustainable fuels and building materials from the CO2 already in our atmosphere.
Having recently deployed its first DAC plant in the UK, Mission Zero Technologies has also received significant interest from companies in North America, Oceania and Europe, and international expansion is a key goal.
Excessive atmospheric CO2 levels occur when the planet-warming gas carbon dioxide accumulates in the air faster than it can be absorbed by natural mechanisms. Today’s climate crisis is due to human activities which emit excessive concentrations of this gas into the atmosphere.
To address this imbalance, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has announced that large-scale carbon removal will be needed in addition to deep emissions reductions. This is where Mission Zero Technologies’ DAC technology steps in. If developed to gigaton scale alongside permanent carbon removal, DAC can reverse climate change by eliminating large volumes of CO22 from the atmosphere.
Mission Zero Technologies’ DAC is inspired by the biological reactions that manage CO₂ in the body. Using electricity and water, an ion-selective electrochemical separation process efficiently extracts carbon from the air and regenerates it as a pure gas.
Its DAC system prioritises energy efficiency, works well with renewable energy sources like offshore wind farms, and is designed for rapid global deployment using readily available components in a flexible modular design.
DAC offers both environmental and economic benefits. It facilitates CO2 extraction for both onshore and offshore storage. Looking ahead, Mission Zero Technologies plans to mass produce its units at a competitive price.
As a start-up, searching for the right companies to work with has been key.
Since Mission Zero Technologies’ electric DAC can handle intermittency, it was crucial to connect with the UK’s top renewable energy experts. Already a leading clean energy hub, the East of England stood out as the ideal location to build new industrial relationships for the company, and engagement with ORE Catapult encouraged Mission Zero Technologies to take part in Launch Academy East of England. More recently, they also joined the Maritime Accelerator Catapult to further explore relevant opportunities to decarbonise shipping.
The next step for the team is commissioning a flagship DAC pilot unit in Norfolk. There, Mission Zero Technologies and its local project partner, O.C.O Technology, plan to use residual materials from energy from waste (EfW) operations together with DAC-originated CO2 to produce carbon-negative building materials.
Dr Nicholas Chadwick from Mission Zero Technologies said: “With support from Launch Academy East of England, we will be able to build and strengthen our regional positioning, which will be key to boosting customer interest in our services.
“Working with ORE Catapult and renewable energy suppliers, we are interested in modelling how DAC could assist with load balancing, particularly for non-grid usage.”
Find out more: https://www.missionzero.tech/
Imogen Stevenson
Innovation Manager - East of England
