French Prototype Extracts CO2 Directly from Air

A cooling tower standing behind a factory in Drancy, a northeastern suburb of Paris, is France's first direct air capture prototype. At first glance the 3.5-meter-high metal box topped with a fan resembles ordinary industrial equipment. The system draws air through vents, filters it with a liquid chemical solvent, and uses an electric current through membranes to isolate and concentrate carbon dioxide.

The prototype began operating in July 2025. By early May 2026 it had run for around 1,500 hours and captured 1.3 metric tons of CO₂. The recovered gas is currently released back into the atmosphere. The company developing the technology stated that its main goal at this stage is to demonstrate that the process works safely.

A dashboard displays real-time performance data from the installation. The firm ultimately intends to store the captured CO₂ in concrete or convert it into synthetic fuels for aircraft.

Direct air capture technology extracts carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere rather than from industrial exhaust streams. The molecule targeted makes up just 0.04 percent of the air. The prototype uses a combination of chemical solvents, pumps, tanks, pipes and electrically driven membranes to separate and concentrate the gas.

French start-ups and researchers are among those developing such systems as one approach to reducing atmospheric greenhouse gases. These negative emissions technologies are viewed by some as a potential tool to help address the climate crisis, though questions remain about their cost and scalability.