UK government selects 24 project for phase 1 of direct carbon capture R&D program

In the UK, the government has selected 24 projects for the first phase of its R&D challenge to find direct air carbon capture and greenhouse gas removal technologies, many of which are bio-based. From those projects, a select few will go on to the second phase where pilot projects will be implemented to test and demonstrate the new technologies. In June 2020 the Prime Minister announced up to £100 million of new research and development funding to help develop direct air capture technologies in the UK. As part of this, the innovation competition seeks to support the development of Greenhouse Gas Removals (GGR) technologies to help them achieve commercialization. To meet net zero by 2050 direct air capture and other greenhouse gas removals technologies are necessary to offset emissions from hard to tackle areas, such as parts of the agriculture and aviation sectors.