From Air to Industry: Creating Markets for Atmospheric CO₂

CO₂ is used in industries around the world every day, from the beverages we drink to the fuels, chemicals, and building materials we produce. What if this existing industrial demand could also help scale direct air capture and build the foundations for durable carbon removal?

Join Aircapture at the Think Negative Pavilion for a practical discussion of how direct air capture (DAC) can supply atmospheric CO₂ to existing industries, and what it will take to turn emerging applications into reliable, commercially viable markets.

Today, much of the industrial CO₂ supply depends on fossil-based processes. Capturing CO₂ directly from the atmosphere offers an alternative, but scaling adoption requires more than technology alone. It depends on connecting suppliers with industrial buyers, meeting demanding product specifications, building regional supply chains, and establishing the commercial partnerships needed to support deployment.

From beverage carbonation and synthetic fuels to chemicals and concrete mineralization, this panel will explore how different industries can create near-term demand for atmospheric CO₂. Drawing on real-world deployments and emerging partnerships, speakers will discuss the technical, commercial, and infrastructure challenges of moving from demonstration projects to wider industrial adoption.

The discussion will explore:

Building industrial demand: Which sectors offer the strongest near-term opportunities for atmospheric CO₂, and what is preventing broader adoption?

Connecting suppliers and customers: What do industrial buyers need in terms of purity, reliability, cost, volume, and long-term supply commitments?

Scaling through utilization: How can commercial CO₂ markets support early DAC deployment, manufacturing capacity, and investment?

Concrete and durable storage: How can mineralization and integration with construction materials create opportunities for permanent carbon storage?

Utilization versus removal: How can industries distinguish between applications that temporarily use CO₂ and those that deliver durable carbon removal?

Importantly, not all CO₂ utilization constitutes carbon removal. While some applications eventually release CO₂ back into the atmosphere, others, such as mineralization in concrete, can provide durable storage. Understanding these differences is essential to building credible markets and ensuring that industrial utilization complements, rather than substitutes for, permanent removal.

Scaling carbon removal will require more than capturing CO₂, it will require the markets, customers, and infrastructure to make deployment possible.

Join us to explore how today's industrial demand can help build tomorrow's carbon removal industry.