Trinity’s groundbreaking carbon capture tech takes off at Dublin Airport
Posted on: 01 July 2025
Groundbreaking technology developed at Trinity, which captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, is being put through its paces at Dublin Airport – with the team behind its creation hoping to demonstrate its wider potential for capturing carbon in the aviation and e-fuel industries.
The project has been funded by a prestigious European Innovation Council (EIC) Transition grant (AirInMotion) and supported by the Enterprise Ireland.
Developed by Prof. Wolfgang Schmitt and Dr Sebastien Vaesen from Trinity’s School of Chemistry and AMBER, the Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland Centre for Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research, this pioneering initiative focuses on delivering scalable, energy-efficient atmospheric carbon dioxide capture solutions to help reduce industrial emissions. This Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology is a critical tool in achieving net-zero targets and has the potential to drive real, measurable change in combating climate change.
This deployment marked the first industrial-scale field test of the technology. The demonstrator has been operating for three months at Dublin Airport, collecting critical data on efficiency, operational stability, and energy consumption. Insights gained from this deployment have provided crucial validation of the technology performance and will shape future development and commercial applications.
Prof. Wolfgang Schmitt pointed out the impact of this technology, stating, “Atmospheric carbon capture innovations are crucial because they directly address one of the most pressing challenges we face today—reducing carbon emissions from industries that can't easily eliminate them at the source. By advancing and integrating this technology across industries, we are not only reducing emissions but also creating economic opportunities through supplying high-purity CO₂ that align with global sustainability goals.”
“This technology has the potential to be a cornerstone in the global effort to combat climate change, and the idea that this could contribute to a solution that makes a real difference is incredibly motivating.”
Dr Sebastien Vaesen, technical lead, emphasised the transformative potential of the technology, adding: “Our technology is designed for industrial deployment, efficiently capturing CO₂ from the air while utilising low-grade waste heat from industries. We have enhanced CO₂ capture efficiency by integrating innovative design features and optimising key operational conditions using our laboratory test rig.”
“The deployment at Dublin Airport is a key validation for scaling up and allows us to gather critical performance data in a live operational setting and fine-tune it for long-term sustainable operation. Moreover, we are strongly committed to the technology commercialisation, and this deployment is a major stepping stone.”
This technology deployment aims to further demonstrate its potential for the aviation and e-fuel industries, directly addressing the European Commission's ReFuelEU Aviation legislation, which mandates that Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) comprise 2% of fuel at EU airports by 2025, increasing to 70% by 2050. Furthermore, it also requires e-fuels, produced from renewable electricity and sustainable CO₂, to constitute 50% of the SAF.
Andrea Carroll, Director of Sustainability at daa, the operators of Dublin Airport, said: “We are pleased to support Trinity College Dublin's trial of carbon capture technology at Dublin Airport. This project offers daa an opportunity to explore carbon capture as a potential means of decarbonising our operations and industry. The collaboration between Trinity College Dublin and Dublin Airport exemplifies the kind of forward-thinking partnerships that are essential for driving innovation and real change as we all make our way towards a Net Zero world.”
Dr Elham Katoueizadeh, Project Developer for this technology, highlighted that developed over more than 10 years of research and innovation, this technology is now ready for large-scale implementation across industries, recognising the urgent need for scalable carbon capture solutions. Following the start of this field test, the team is focusing on securing additional investment and partnerships to expand and accelerate commercial adoption.
For more information visit the team’s LinkedIn or Website.
Media Contact:
Thomas Deane | Media Relations | deaneth@tcd.ie | +353 1 896 4685