Skytree Launches First Direct Air Capture Unit for Onsite CO2 Generation

Posted by Brian Sparks|November 15, 2023

Skytree, a climate tech company dedicated to combating climate change through innovative CO₂ capture and reutilization solutions, has launched Skytree Cumulus, the company’s inaugural Direct Air Capture (DAC) modular unit. Once installed onsite at a vertical farm, greenhouse, or any controlled environment agriculture (CEA) business, Skytree Cumulus captures CO₂ from the ambient air and makes it available for use by indoor farmers and greenhouse growers in the production of food and flowers. Skytree Cumulus is now available for ordering with the first units to ship in early 2024.

“This is an incredibly exciting moment for Skytree as we move forward with the commercialization of our first unit for onsite carbon capture and reutilization,” said Rob van Straten, Skytree CEO. “By enabling the generation of CO₂ onsite at farms and greenhouses, we are taking a significant step forward in helping CEA businesses reduce their carbon footprint and transition away from the fossil fuel industry as a source for CO₂ supply.”

Skytree’s proprietary DAC technology captures CO₂ from ambient air, filters it using a patented process, and stores it in pressurized buffer tanks from where it can be accessed and reused by any business in regular need of concentrated CO₂. Skytree Cumulus, the first commercially available modular unit, will deliver a reliable and uninterrupted supply of up to 10 kg of CO₂ in a 24-hour period, delivering clean and affordable CO₂ to CEA businesses while alleviating procurement and transport challenges. Users in need of additional CO₂ can acquire and connect additional units.

“CEA businesses sourcing CO₂ from the fossil fuel industry may be surprised to learn that every step of the process, from capture to cleaning to liquifying to storing in cylinders and then transporting to farms, adds up to 50% harmful emissions,” van Straten says. “Every ton of CO₂ captured at an oil refinery can lead to 1.5 tons of emissions released back into the atmosphere. We’re providing CEA businesses the opportunity to operate independently of the oil and gas industry while enjoying guaranteed access to carbon dioxide, all without the headaches of cost increases and supply chain challenges, or having to deal with the ordering and handling of metal cylinders.”

In addition to its debut unit, Skytree is also developing a second, larger DAC unit with an eye toward expanding to building materials and enabling other hard-to-abate industrial industries to permanently move away from carbon dioxide sourced from the fossil fuel industry. Capable of generating up to 400 kg of CO₂ per day, Skytree expects the larger unit to become available in the second half of 2024.