Deep Sky, the Canadian carbon removal project developer, is deploying Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology developed by Airbus, Europe's largest aerospace company, at Deep Sky's flagship facility, Deep Sky Alpha, in Innisfail, Alberta, Canada. The DAC unit has the capacity to remove 250 tonnes of CO2 per year and was successfully delivered recently after only eight months of engineering and manufacturing.

The modular hardware unit captures carbon dioxide from ambient air. Its technology is derived from Airbus (Defence and Space) life-support systems aboard the International Space Station, and was brought to market in 2023. The system inside the module employs a solid amine-based filter to capture CO2, which is then heated to release highly concentrated CO2 while returning CO2 lean air to the atmosphere. In addition to this temperature swing process, the energy system to operate the module is uniquely designed to recover the input energy and optimize energy consumption.

Alex Petre, CEO of Deep Sky, says: 'In order for carbon dioxide removal to have an impact, we need to develop technologies that can rapidly scale to remove billions of tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. We're incredibly pleased to be hosting Airbus technology in Canada and look forward to a continued partnership in the future.'

As a project developer, Deep Sky is actively deploying expansive carbon removal and storage infrastructure across Canada. It is incorporating leading carbon dioxide removal and sequestration technologies to scale up a portfolio of solutions.

The company's first facility, Deep Sky Alpha, began operating earlier this year. It serves as the world's first carbon removal innovation and commercialisation center, hosting multiple DAC technologies for piloting and optimisation, while also producing CDR credits. With the addition of Airbus, Deep Sky has secured partnerships with multiple DAC providers to deploy their technology at Deep Sky Alpha, including Airhive, Phlair, MissionZero, Skyrenu, Skytree, Carbon Capture and GE Vernova.

The deployment of the modules signals Deep Sky's strong momentum. In December 2024, Deep Sky secured a USD $40 million grant commitment from Breakthrough Energy Catalyst - their first-ever investment in both a Canadian and Direct Air Capture project. In November 2024, the company announced founding carbon removal credit buyers Royal Bank of Canada and Microsoft, who committed to purchase 10,000 tonnes of CO2 removal over a 10-year period, with options for up to 1 million additional tonnes from Deep Sky's pipeline of commercial projects.