Today we opened our direct air capture plant in Norfolk, the world’s first fully integrated DAC-to-building materials production demonstration. This marks the completion of the second of our three systems, following the launch of the UK’s first commercial DAC plant in late 2023, and the beginning of our deployment alongside Deep Sky, in Alberta, Canada, in 2024.
Turning building materials into carbon sinks
In partnership with O.C.O Technology (O.C.O) and the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), our DAC solution is capable of recovering up to 250 tonnes of CO2 per year from the atmosphere for direct use in O.C.O’s Manufactured Limestone, which stores the CO2 in a stable form for thousands of years. Once tested, the resulting carbon-negative limestone can then be used widely to decarbonise essential building products, including bricks, concrete blocks, tiles, and slabs.
Our tech provides O.C.O with an on-site source of reliable, sustainable carbon to complement their existing CO2 supply, helping to protect against fluctuations in CO2 prices and availability. By seamlessly integrating with O.C.O’s existing manufacturing process, it’s a prime example of how embracing clean tech innovation doesn’t have to mean completely overhauling established systems and equipment.
Another industrial application of Mission Zero’s DAC
This opening brings us to a total of two operational direct air capture systems in the UK, alongside our Sheffield deployment, which is pioneering the creation of jet fuel made from air. Our third system, in partnership with Deep Sky Labs in Canada — another 250-tonne capacity system — is due to begin operating later this year, recovering CO₂ to be permanently stored underground. We're delivering DAC solutions across multiple markets, for both carbon removal and utilisation, helping us to build a broad base of experience across different applications.
Proof that ambitious policy making pays off
As one of the first DAC startups in the UK to receive government funding via DESNZ — and one of the first of the government’s greenhouse gas removal competition cohorts to deliver — this deployment marks a huge return for early investment in transformative climate technologies.
It’s undeniable that carbon is an essential part of our modern economy, as is our need to move away from burning fossil fuels to obtain them. Through harnessing off-the-shelf components and established global supply chains, we’ve been able to show how deployable DAC can be whilst also proving early commercial value — providing a solution that can deliver both carbon removal and carbon utilisation in one use case.
“Thanks to months of hard work alongside our partners in O.C.O and the UK Government, we’re opening our second UK plant.
“With the construction sector being one of the largest contributors to global carbon emissions, the industry needs to rapidly rethink its carbon backbone — and creating sustainable building materials which double as carbon sinks is a great way to do just that.”
Dr Nicholas Chadwick, co-founder and CEO
