The world’s first fully integrated Direct Air Capture (DAC) to building materials production plant is starting operations in Norfolk.
This is Mission Zero Technologies (MZT) second of three previously-announced plants, having opened the UK’s first commercial DAC plant in late 2023, and begun deployment of another system with Deep Sky, in Alberta, Canada, in 2024.
In partnership with O.C.O Technology (O.C.O) and the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), MZT’s DAC solution is capable of recovering around 250 tonnes of CO2 per year from the atmosphere for direct use in O.C.O’s Manufactured Limestone.
This will give O.C.O an on-site source of reliable, sustainable carbon to complement its existing supply arrangements, helping to protect against fluctuations in CO2 prices and availability, and strengthening downstream demand for carbon-negative building materials.
Why funding is critical
Government support via DESNZ’s Net Zero Innovation Portfolio funding has been critical. As one of the first DAC startups in the UK to receive such funding — and one of the first of the government’s greenhouse gas removal competition cohorts to deliver — this deployment marks a huge return for the government’s early investment in transformative climate technologies.
MZT recognises that carbon is an essential part of the modern economy, as is our need to move away from burning fossil fuels to obtain them. By using established global supply chains and mature ‘off-the-shelf’ components, the startup can rapidly deploy its tech. This approach helps prove commercial and sustainable viability in both creating climate-friendly carbon products and durably removing CO₂.
Valuable insights
Dr Nicholas Chadwick, co-founder and CEO of MZT said: “ While many Direct Air Capture solutions are still in the lab, our technologies are being used in real-world commercial settings — giving us invaluable insights and data to scale faster, and helping to prove critics wrong.
“With the construction sector being one of the largest contributors to global carbon emissions, the industry needs to rapidly rethink its carbon backbone — and creating sustainable building materials which double as carbon sinks is a great way to do just that.”
Graham Cooper, UK Managing Director for O.C.O said: “We’re pleased to work alongside Mission Zero in enabling this exciting technology. Direct air capture is an important part of UK and global efforts to reach Net Zero and beyond, and so working on this project fits with our core values of delivering carbon capture and sustainability.”
Read next: Driving energy efficiency in stores – Build in Digital
Are you a building professional? Sign up for a FREE MEMBERSHIP to upload news stories, post job vacancies, and connect with colleagues on our secure social feed.
