Capture6 Receives the Largest Grant from the California Energy Commission in the Round
Awarded for First of Its Kind Facility Advancing Water Recovery and Carbon Removal
OAKLAND, CA – July 11, 2023 – Capture6, a carbon management startup, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a grant from the California Energy Commission under the Commercialization Industrial Decarbonization (CID) Program. The grant is valued at over $8M – the largest sum awarded in the round. It will support Capture6’s Project Monarch as part of the Pure Water Antelope Valley (PWAV) Demonstration Facility, the first fully integrated water management and carbon dioxide (CO₂) removal facility of its kind.
Capture6’s approach is unique in providing a highly scalable, energy and water positive method of carbon capture, removal, and storage. Its direct air capture process integrates with water treatment technologies and provides a circular economy integration whereby water treatment facilities’ salty water (brine) is used to produce solvent to capture atmospheric carbon dioxide. Capture6’s technology supports community and environmental benefits by delivering additional freshwater and removing CO2.
The world struggles with water security which is exacerbated by climate change and threatens the local economies, jobs, and livelihoods. Looking ahead, global water demand is projected to increase by 55% by 2050. Existing water sources could be used to overcome this accelerating environmental crisis, but they are typically high in salt and other minerals. Without significant treatment, these sources cannot be used.
Capture6’s direct air capture technology requires saltwater to create its carbon removal solvent. By partnering with water treatment facilities, like PWAV, and repurposing existing industrial-scale technologies, Capture6 can recover over 50% of freshwater from desalination waste brine for drinking and industrial purposes while capturing CO₂ and eliminating waste brine in the process. Integrating DAC technology into advanced water treatment processes allows for an energy efficient and cost-effective way of removing CO₂ from the atmosphere and offers a promising path to a gigaton carbon removal on a global scale.
The successful grant application was a collaboration led by Capture6, with PSE Healthy Energy, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (Berkeley Lab), and Stantec. The PWAV Demonstration Facility will be developed by Palmdale Water District (PWD) in partnership with Capture6. Project Monarch will demonstrate the use of saltwater separation technology to remove atmospheric CO2.
“We are honored to receive this grant from the California Energy Commission. It represents one of the largest state-funded DAC investments to date. It confirms our process is viable in decarbonizing industries while at the same time reducing emissions and increasing freshwater supplies,” said Dr. Ethan Cohen-Cole, CEO and co-founder of Capture6.
The PWAV Demonstration Facility will feature a visitor learning center, including guided tours, for the public to learn about PWD’s advanced water purification process and Capture6’s cutting-edge technology. Berkeley Lab will develop and deploy a comprehensive monitoring, reporting and verification protocol and execute life cycle analysis for the project, and PSE Healthy Energy will lead air pollutant assessments.
“Berkeley Lab is excited to partner with Capture6 to create one of the first robust monitoring, reporting and verification strategies for the burgeoning carbon management industry,” said Corinne Scown, deputy for research in the Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division of the Energy Technologies Area and lead for the techno-economic analysis and lifecycle cost assessment team at Berkeley Lab.
“Direct Air Capture is a promising, new technology that could help us make meaningful progress toward a decarbonized economy,” said Sebastien Biraud, who leads the Berkeley Lab Climate Sciences Department and who will advise this project on monitoring, reporting, and verification practices. “Two key components of any such project are (1) the monitoring, reporting, and verification protocol, and (2) the completion of a full lifecycle assessment of the project and its associated technologies. These critical elements help assess and ensure the credibility of a project’s impacts and results. They also help inform future scale-up opportunities.”
Analyses and outputs will be publicly shared through academic journals and publicly available reports. Project Monarch is a two-phase project with the ultimate ambition to develop a large-scale commercial facility pending community support and successful outcomes from the demonstration facility.
Capture6’s process can be replicated anywhere. The company is pursuing opportunities in New Zealand, Asia, the Middle East, Canada, and across the US to deliver high-value environmental and financial outcomes: pure water and affordable carbon removal alongside emissions reductions.
The CID Program is part of the California Energy Commission’s broader efforts to create a clean, modern, and thriving California. The Commission is the state’s primary energy policy and planning agency that plays a critical role in supporting the transition to a clean energy economy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
About Capture6
Capture6 is a direct air capture start-up based in California and New Zealand leveraging its technology to support climate resilience and industrial decarbonization. The company develops and commercializes highly scalable approaches to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Capture6 is pioneering an approach that can be deployed today by repurposing existing industrial-scale technologies.
Additionally, when coupled with desalination facilities, Capture6 can recover over 50% of freshwater from desalination waste brine for drinking and industrial purposes in the process of removing CO₂. This creates a meaningful synergy between carbon removal and water security. Learn more at capture6.org.
