Geospatial techno-economic and life cycle assessment of renewable-powered direct air capture in Middle East and North Africa

[Geoengineering News]

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772656826000382

Authors: Loiy Al-Ghussain, Mohamed G. Gado, Mohammad Alrbai, Sameer Al-Dahidi, Zifeng Lu

28 March 2026

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccst.2026.100605

Highlights

•Novel geospatial assessment of RES-DAC system across the MENA region.

•Optimizing DAC-to-RES ratio cut costs and emissions.

•CI of wind- and PV- powered DAC are 30–100 and 65–115 kgCO2/tCO2, respectively.

•By 2030, LCOC could drop to $170 (PV) and $100 (wind) per tCO2.

•Ongoing advances in renewables and DAC are key for practical deployment in MENA.

Abstract

Direct Air Capture (DAC) technologies powered by renewable energy are a promising approach for atmospheric carbon removal. This study presents a geospatial techno-economic and life cycle assessment of solar- and wind-powered electrified DAC systems across the Middle East and North Africa region. We evaluate how system sizing and regional resource conditions affect the cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission intensity of CO2 capture. Results show that optimal DAC-to-renewable capacity ratios and performance vary across locations, with levelized cost of CO2 capture (LCOC) ranging from 200 to 650 USD/ton CO2 and GHG emission intensity (EI) from 30 to 115 kgCO2eq/ton CO2. The study accounts for upstream emissions from renewable energy systems and highlights that DAC capital cost and PV efficiency are key performance drivers. Future projections suggest that LCOC could decline to 135–177 USD/ton CO2 and EI to 30–47 kgCO2eq/ton CO2 by 2030, underscoring the potential of RES-DAC for cost-effective CO2 removal in the region.

Source: ScienceDirect