Reviewing direct air capture startups and emerging technologies

Direct air capture (DAC) is receiving momentous attention from academia and industry as a promising technology to mitigate climate change. To facilitate market-based DAC research, this review compiles information on over 50 DAC startups and their potential partners, revealing a diverse prospective market. The discussions focus on the technologies embraced by DAC startups, including solid alkali carbonates, amine-functionalized solid sorbents, physisorbents, ion-exchange resins (IERs), and electrochemical approaches. Additionally, artificial intelligence (AI) is introduced as a potential strategy to accelerate the commercialization of DAC. This review further explores CO₂ utilization and storage companies, which are potential customers of DAC startups. By synthesizing existing studies and identifying the opportunities and challenges faced by different DAC startups, potential research is identified to enrich the DAC business ecosystem. This review aims to facilitate collaborations among science, engineering, and innovation management for worldwide deployments of DAC.