Innovation awards finalist: NEG8 Carbon creates a compact modular system to capture CO2

Each module is capable of capturing up to 400 tonnes of CO2 per annum, is scalable and the units can be positioned virtually anywhere

Adrian Costigan of NEG8 Carbon at The Irish Times Innovation Awards 2023 final judging day. Photograph: Conor McCabe Photography.
Adrian Costigan of NEG8 Carbon at The Irish Times Innovation Awards 2023 final judging day. Photograph: Conor McCabe

Carbon capture is seen as a realistic way of reducing global CO2 emissions and DAC, (direct air carbon capture), which removes C02 directly from the air, is one way of doing this.

However, existing DAC systems have their limitations, including cost and high energy use and this prompted the multidisciplinary team behind carbon capture technology company, NEG8, to combine their chemical and mechanical engineering expertise to “develop a highly efficient and groundbreaking DAC system to capture millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide and reverse climate change,” says chief commercial officer Dr Adrian Costigan.

“Reducing emissions alone is not enough to meet climate change goals. One of the key challenges is how do we remove the billions of tonnes of historic emissions from the past century of industrialisation. Direct air capture will be part of the solution,” he adds.

“Our system is novel, compact and modular and each module is capable of capturing up to 400 tonnes of CO2 per annum. Our system provides accurate measurement so it’s easy to see how much C02 has been removed. It is scalable and the units can be positioned virtually anywhere. It’s powered by renewable energy and can also utilise waste heat from industry.

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“At NEG8 Carbon, we’re deploying expansive DAC farms, utilising cutting-edge and natural techniques like geological mineralisation to permanently remove CO2. Our sustainable approach will then translate to carbon removal credits (CDRs) for the surging voluntary carbon market,” Costigan says.

NEG8 Carbon is an Irish Times Innovation awards finalist in the Sustainability category sponsored by Skillnet Ireland

Olive Keogh

Olive Keogh

Olive Keogh is a contributor to The Irish Times specialising in business