Aircapture Wins Tencent CarbonX 2.0 for Microwave DAC Technology
Aircapture, a Berkeley-based direct air capture (DAC) company, has been selected as one of 16 winners of Tencent's CarbonX 2.0, a global award program for breakthrough climate technologies. The company's Lightswing™ process, a microwave-based method of direct air capture (MWDAC), was chosen for its potential to significantly reduce energy costs compared to conventional thermal regeneration methods.
Thermal regeneration is the most energy-intensive step in traditional DAC systems. Lightswing uses targeted microwave energy to break the bond between CO₂ and Aircapture's sorbent material, releasing captured carbon without heating other system components. This approach brings the desorption step closer to its theoretical minimum energy requirement, reducing both OpEx and CapEx per tonne of CO₂ captured.
Lightswing Technology Details
According to Matt Atwood, CEO and founder of Aircapture, "Conventional DAC loses energy heating the system and support materials needed to capture carbon. Lightswing directs energy exactly where carbon capture happens, fundamentally changing the economics of direct air capture." The elimination of process equipment and dramatic reduction in desorption energy address one of the primary barriers to DAC's commercial viability at scale.
Aircapture previously pioneered one of the world's first modular DAC systems and earned recognition as an XFACTOR award winner by XPRIZE Carbon Removal. The company has deployed commercial systems supplying CO₂ to customers such as Aizawa and Almanac Beer Co., helping address global CO₂ supply shortages. Aircapture is among the few DAC companies with systems operating commercially across the U.S., Japan, and Europe.
Kenya Pilot Project
The CarbonX 2.0 award includes a share of nearly $30 million committed across all 16 winners. A key mandate is the development of a 100-tonne-per-year pilot facility in Kenya, where basalt geology enables permanent underground CO₂ sequestration. Aircapture will operate as one of four DAC companies in a shared hub, each demonstrating a distinct removal approach.
The Kenya pilot will scale Lightswing to a 100-bed commercial system capable of capturing 100 tonnes of CO₂ per year. Kenya's Rift Valley basalt basin is one of the few active global sites with geology suitable for direct CO₂ mineralization. The pilot will generate real-world performance data to validate Lightswing's technology at commercial operating scale.
Impact and Commercial Viability
Aircapture's MWDAC innovation builds on its existing operating foundation, targeting further cost reduction as the company scales. The award supports Aircapture's mission to deliver atmospheric CO₂ as a circular commodity for industrial and commercial customers. By addressing both energy and equipment costs, Lightswing aims to make DAC economically feasible at scale, a critical step for global carbon removal efforts.
