How Direct Air Capture Works (and Why Now)

Reactor Podcast

👋 Imagine a giant vacuum cleaner — but instead of dust, it’s pulling carbon dioxide straight out of the sky.
It’s called Direct Air Capture (DAC), and it’s no longer science fiction. Real plants are running today in Iceland, Texas, and California.
In this episode of Reactor, we break down:
🌬️ How Direct Air Capture actually works — step by step
🧪 The four main DAC technologies (solids, liquids, minerals, electrochemicals)
⚡ Why DAC is only possible now (cheap renewables, better materials, policy, corporate buyers)
📉 The scalability challenge — costs, energy appetite, storage, and risks
🌍 Where the first plants are already running (Climeworks, Heirloom, 1PointFive)
This is Part 1 of a 3-part DAC series:
1️⃣ How DAC Works (and Why Now) ← this video
2️⃣ How DAC Companies Make Money (coming soon)
3️⃣ The DAC Field Guide: Startups & Scaleups
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🔑 Key Takeaways

• DAC is industrial chemistry, not magic.
  
• It’s expensive today ($600–$1,200/ton) but scaling fast.
  
• Cheap clean energy + policy support make it viable in 2025.
  
• Corporates like Microsoft, JPMorgan, and Amazon are already buying DAC credits.
  

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📚 Resources & Links
👉 Climeworks Mammoth plant: https://climeworks.com/technology
👉 Carbon Engineering explainer: [https://carbonengineering.com/our-tec...](https://carbonengineering.com/our-tec...)
👉 Heirloom DAC tech: https://heirloomcarbon.com/technology
👉 Carbfix CO₂ mineralization: [https://www.carbfix.com/how-it-works](

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