About Us
Carbon Collect is a technology-first company pioneering scalable, cost-effective Direct Air Capture (DAC) solutions to remove carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere. Building on over three decades of research led by Professor Klaus Lackner at Arizona State University, the company holds the exclusive global rights to the foundational ASU–Lackner patents that define the geometry and passive air-contacting principle of the MechanicalTree™, the world’s first truly passive DAC system.
Gen-I, installed in 2022, validated the scientific and operational principles of passive DAC. Gen-II, deployed in Q4 2025, introduces a fully modular system built from non-metallic, recyclable materials engineered for mass manufacturability and transportability. With these advances, Carbon Collect expects to reach Technology Readiness Level 8 (TRL 8) by the end of 2025.
Carbon Collect is developing a comprehensive patent strategy that extends beyond the ASU foundation, protecting proprietary advances in modular sorbent disk assemblies, composite regeneration chambers, and integrated, transportable architectures — securing the manufacturable, low-cost pathway to large-scale DAC.
Artificial intelligence is already central to our design evolution. Using deep reinforcement learning and data-driven control, future generations of the MechanicalTree™ will self-optimize to improve efficiency and drive continuous cost reduction as we scale globally.
Our Journey
Carbon Collect was established to commercialize Professor Klaus Lackner’s pioneering concept for passive Direct Air Capture.
Start of Operations (2020) – Carbon Collect initiated independent engineering design and system development, moving beyond the original Lackner moisture-swing concept. The team created the world’s first passive, low-temperature thermal-vacuum swing system for Direct Air Capture (DAC), establishing the foundation for a deployable, industrial-scale technology.
DOE Award: SAPDAC Program (2021) – The U.S. Department of Energy awarded Carbon Collect funding under the Spatiotemporal Adaptive Passive Direct Air Capture (SAPDAC) program (Award No. DE-FOA-0002402). The three year thirty person project evaluated the performance of passive DAC systems under varying climatic and geographic conditions, advancing design adaptations for scalable, real-world deployment.
First MechanicalTree™ Deployed (2022, Gen-I, TRL 6) – The world’s first passive DAC unit demonstrated full atmospheric capture and thermal regeneration in a field environment, validating the design at Technology Readiness Level 6.
Gen-II Launch (2024) – Incorporating a composite regeneration chamber and recyclable sorbent disks, Gen-II validated manufacturability, transportability, and energy-efficient operation.
TRL 8 (2025) – With ongoing field deployment and performance validation, Carbon Collect’s MechanicalTree™ technology will achieve Technology Readiness Level 8 before year end 2025.
Gen-III Development (2025) – A Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) program nearing completion defines the 18-unit cluster configuration designed for steady-state CO₂ output and commercial readiness. The system integrates heat-recovery and liquefaction modules, establishing the platform for scalable, continuous carbon removal and product utilisation from 2026.
DOE-Supported Deployment: Southwest Regional DAC Hub – Carbon Collect is an anchor technology consortium member in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Southwest Regional Direct Air Capture Hub, led by Arizona State University, supporting large-scale DAC cluster deployment and integration with CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure.
Next Phase – Gen-IV “Smart DAC” – Under the U.S. Department of Energy’s Regional DAC Hubs Program, Carbon Collect is advancing the next generation of the MechanicalTree™ through a Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study scheduled for completion in September 2026. Development is underway to integrate advanced sorbent systems, AI-driven process optimisation, and expanded manufacturing capability for global rollout.
Technology & Impact
The MechanicalTree™ represents a new generation of Direct Air Capture (DAC), engineered to make large-scale carbon removal practical, affordable, and elegantly simple. Designed for continuous operation, it captures CO₂ directly from ambient air without the energy-intensive fans or blowers used in other DAC systems, operating quietly and passively compared to active alternatives.
Its patented modular design combines recyclable, lightweight disk assemblies with a low-temperature thermal regeneration process, allowing operation at the lowest temperature range of any DAC technology. Every element of the system has been created for mass manufacturing, ease of transport, and global scalability, delivering a practical pathway toward gigaton-scale deployment.
The company’s Gen-II MechanicalTree™, now operational in Tempe, Arizona, has been supported through multiple U.S. Department of Energy programs, including SAPDAC and the Southwest Regional DAC Hub. This system validates a platform that can serve diverse applications, from clean fuels and building materials to agriculture, food, and industrial CO₂ use, as well as sequestration for permanent disposal at scale, replacing fossil-derived CO₂ and reducing transport emissions.
Quiet, durable, and modular by design, the MechanicalTree™ turns atmospheric carbon into a new industrial feedstock — a breakthrough in sustainable engineering that moves Direct Air Capture from concept to commercial reality.