Chemical direct air extraction (DAC) is a carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technology that involves removing CO₂ directly from the air using a working material, such as a solid sorbent or a liquid solvent. In chemical DAC systems, large volumes of air are brought into contact with materials that bind CO₂. After the sorbent/solvent is saturated with CO₂, the material is isolated from the air and the CO₂ is extracted. This regenerates the working material for use in the next extraction cycle. The CO₂ is then sequestered (DACCS) or, if desired, utilized for industrial purposes (DACCU).

Main advantages of DAC chemical systems:

• Simple output: DAC chemical devices produce concentrated CO₂ outputs that are easy to measure. The output is a relatively pure stream of CO₂.
• Less impact on land area: DAC chemical plants have a significantly smaller land footprint than most terrestrial CDR systems, whether single-use or biological systems of comparable capacity. Even when DAC systems are powered by specialized renewable energy systems, such as a solar array, the land footprint required is still smaller than that required for other approaches, such as BECCS.
• Location flexibility: Facilities can be located to optimize the availability of waste heat or renewable energy sources, water requirements, proximity to CO₂ sequestration sites, operating environment (such as temperature and humidity), and geopolitical considerations.
• Manageable Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV): MRV should be more straightforward for DAC chemical facilities than for most other large-scale proposed CDR systems.

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