Mission Zero Technologies starts up its third system

On 13 August, ‘Mission Zero Technologies’ (MZT) confirmed that the third deployment of its Direct Air Capture technology is now live at Deep Sky’s flagship Alpha project in Alberta, Canada. The UK startup’s carbon capture technology has been turned on for the permanent removal of carbon from the atmosphere through underground storage 

Marking Mission Zero Technology’s first international deployment, the system progressed from first delivery through to live operations in the space of 10 months. The containerised system is designed to recover up to 250 tonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere per year, powered entirely by solar energy. The captured carbon will be processed by Deep Sky and stored underground, once the Alpha site becomes fully operational later this summer. 

This deployment represents MZT’s third DAC system and first outside the UK, joining two systems already in operation. The company’s second DAC facility, developed in partnership with O.C.O Technology and the UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), is also capable of recovering around 250 tonnes of atmospheric CO₂ per year. This carbon supply is fully-integrated for direct use in O.C.O’s building materials production facilities to enable carbon-negative limestone. 

Meanwhile, Mission Zero Technologies’ first plant, developed in partnership with the University of Sheffield, recovers 50 tonnes of atmospheric CO₂ annually for the production of a pioneer Sustainable Aviation Fuel. By comparison, this latest Canadian deployment represents a fivefold increase in carbon capture capacity, and importantly, alongside a 60% reduction in cost. This underscores the pace of technical progress achieved since this initial deployment in 2023, as well as the value of the operational data collected and the pace of iteration as MZT develops its next-generation products, expected to be capable of multi-kilotonne annual CO₂ recovery.

This third deployment is a key milestone in MZT’s mission of proving the commercial appetite and easy scalability of their modular technology. Establishing diversified end-use carbon pathways enables the de-risking of this underlying technology, believed to be the world’s first cross-tech DAC hub. Its aim is to prove the ability to deliver viable commercial and sustainable DAC systems globally, using ‘off-the-shelf’ components and established global supply chains.

System approach

Breaking with first-generation DAC’s intense heat requirements, MZT’s electrochemical technology is said to achieve high thermodynamic efficiency compared to other DAC approaches. Using electricity rather than heat also means it can dynamically integrate with local renewable energy sources, as well as helping to absorb excess energy from solar and wind generation.