Project TENET to advance DAC in the Teesside Net Zero Cluster

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Airhive and Teesside University collaborate on an Innovate UK-funded project to build the first demonstration scale version of Airhive’s DAC technology.

20 November 2023

Airhive and Teesside University’s Net Zero Industry Innovation Centre (NZIIC) are collaborating to build and test the first demonstration scale version of Airhive's Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology, in the heart of the UK’s first and largest Net Zero Cluster.

‘Project TENET’ (Teesside Negative Emissions Technology) has been part-funded by the Tees Valley Net Zero Launchpad, a collaborative research and development fund established by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation.

A demonstration unit with the potential to extract up to 80 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere each year will be developed, constructed, and installed at the NZIIC.

Airhive will work with material scientists and chemical engineers at the University to monitor and improve the system’s effectiveness, and inform designs for larger-scale units that will be deployed later in 2024. Installation and initial testing begin at the NZIIC in December.

Project TENET also explores the potential for the technology to have integrated thermochemical energy storage, allowing the heat generated in the chemical reaction to be stored and used to itself power the system.

Rory Brown, CEO of Airhive, said “There is no better place to build this plant in the UK than Teesside, with its long, proud industrial history and its pivotal role in the UK's net zero future.”

Dr Humbul Suleman, a Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering in the School of Computing, Engineering & Digital Technologies, who is leading the project, said: “The UK government’s Net Zero strategy aims to have engineered removals, such as DAC, extracting 5 megatons of carbon dioxide a year by 2030.

“Project TENET will play an important role in advancing DAC technology development and deployment in the UK, which will be key to delivering this target.”

Gari Harris, Director of the NZIIC, added: “The NZIIC is already establishing a green legacy for the Tees Valley though its work with industry supporting innovation and skills development.

“This project will build upon this work and help to further position Teesside firmly at the heart of the UK’s green industrial revolution.”