direct air capture

noun

plural direct air captures

: any of various methods for extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and permanently storing (as in underground geological formations) or using in various applications (such as the production of synthetic fuel or concrete)

Generally speaking, carbon capture mitigates carbon dioxide emissions from industrial smokestacks while direct air capture pulls carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

—Robert Stewart

Direct air capture separates carbon dioxide from the air and stores it underground.

—Jishnu Nair

—sometimes used before another noun

Direct air capture technology is a form of carbon dioxide (CO2) removal that takes CO2 from ambient, or still, air. The separated CO2 can then be permanently stored deep underground, or it can be converted into products.

—U.S. Department of Energy

called also DAC

compare carbon capture

Word History

First Known Use

2008, in the meaning defined above