Direct air capture carbon removal

Verified certificates representing one tonne of CO2 captured from ambient air and permanently stored underground. Credits are issued by registries such as Puro.earth and Isometric after third-party verification of metered capture and injection, and retired in the buyer's name as proof of removal.

Effectively permanently. Injected CO2 mineralises into carbonate rock, within about two years in reactive basalt, and IPCC AR6 assesses the storage at 10,000+ years. There is no fire, drought or land-use change that can release it, so reversal risk is negligible.

CO2 makes up about 0.04% of air, so a plant must move enormous volumes and supply significant low-carbon energy for every tonne it captures. Indicative 2026 prices are €350 to €500+ per tonne. Prices are falling as plants standardise and scale, faster than for any other durable method.

It is the right thing to scrutinise. A DAC plant removes carbon on net only if its power is genuinely low-carbon; credits are issued after deducting the full lifecycle emissions of energy and materials. That is why serious projects sit on geothermal or dedicated renewables, and why the energy source is the first thing to verify in any DAC purchase.

A removal. It physically takes CO2 out of the open atmosphere and stores it as rock, which is different from avoidance credits that pay to prevent emissions elsewhere. The Oxford Offsetting Principles class DAC with geological storage in Category V, removal with long-lived storage, the most durable end of the spectrum.

More directly than any other method. The CO2 is metered as a gas stream at capture and again at injection, the storage site is monitored over time, and third-party auditors verify the accounting before registries issue credits, net of lifecycle emissions.

Indicatively €350 to €500+ per tonne, the most expensive method on the market: several times biochar (€100 to €210) and above enhanced rock weathering (€185 to €300) and BECCS (€210 to €390). Price varies widely with technology, energy source and contract structure, so treat single figures as guides rather than quotes.

Prices are falling, but supply into 2030 is largely spoken for: most capacity is sold through offtakes before plants are finished. Waiting means competing for whatever is left closer to your target year. The usual approach is a small allocation now, sized so it strengthens the portfolio without dominating the budget, expanded as capacity and prices improve.

Yes, for neutralising residual emissions. DAC qualifies as durable carbon removal under the SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard, and Version 2.0 (published June 2026, effective February 2027) leans further into exactly the long-lived storage DAC provides. It does not substitute for cutting your own emissions.

Yes. The EU Carbon Removals Certification Framework adopted a dedicated DACCS methodology in February 2026, recognising DAC with geological storage as permanent removal. Certification applies to EU-based projects; DAC credits from outside the EU remain fully reportable under CSRD ESRS E1-7.

Mostly through offtake agreements rather than spot purchase, since supply is small and forward-contracted. The routes are the same as for any removal: directly from developers, via brokers, or through procurement platforms. Whichever you choose, insist on a verified low-carbon energy source, metered MRV, registry retirement in your name, and the documentation your auditor will ask for.

A real risk with first-of-a-kind plants, which is why the contract matters: replacement clauses, staged payments tied to delivery milestones, and buffer mechanisms all exist, and delivery track record and plant status are screenable before signing. Favour operating capacity over announced capacity.

Both, in different roles. Biochar delivers verified tonnes at scale today at roughly a third of the price, with soil and community co-benefits. DAC is the most permanent and most precisely measured, and the scarcest and most expensive. The common pattern is bulk tonnes from biochar and other lower-cost durable methods, with a deliberate DAC slice for maximum permanence.