China's homegrown carbon capture facility passes reliability verification

SHANGHAI -- CarbonBox, China's independently developed direct air capture (DAC) facility, has passed its reliability verification, with a single module capable of capturing over 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the air each year and generating 99 percent high-concentration product.

CarbonBox, developed by researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) and China Energy Engineering Corporation, has an annual CO2 capture capacity of 600 tonnes, marking a significant breakthrough in the country's DAC technology.

DAC is an emerging carbon capture technology that can use low-carbon energy sources such as wind power, solar energy or geothermal energy to capture CO2 directly from the air and achieve net negative CO2 emissions.

CarbonBox comprises one capture unit and one processing unit, with each unit having the size of a shipping container, thus allowing direct on-site hoisting for installation, said Ge Tianshu, senior researcher from the SJTU.

Ge added that the facility's configuration can be tailored to engineering requirements and through standardized modular integration, annual CO2 capture capacity can reach one million tonnes.

CarbonBox can be applied in areas such as green fuel synthesis, including green methanol and green aviation fuel, as well as in carbon trading services.