eFUEL GROUP and DACMA GmbH have opened the DACMA Competence Center at Hamburg Blue Hub, combining the testing of modular CO2 capture technologies with preparations for international applications.
The official launch at the Hydrogen and Carbon Capture Technology World Expo was attended by Hamburg’s Senator for Economic Affairs Dr Melanie Leonhard and Evelyne Coulombe of the Canadian Embassy, whose participation underlined the significance of German-Canadian cooperation in direct air capture technology.
The Competence Center tests modular DAC plants under real industrial conditions, examining technical components and materials, analysing operating processes and energy and material flows, and developing approaches for technical optimisation in collaboration with international universities and research institutions.
Direct Air Capture refers to the capture of CO2 from ambient air, which can be used as a carbon source for synthetic fuels and other chemical products, or stored permanently underground to achieve net atmospheric CO2 removal.
A central element of the centre’s work is the partnership between DACMA and Canadian project developer Deep Sky, which includes a first DACMA plant with a planned capture capacity of 600 tonnes of CO2 per year and the joint development of next-generation technology for larger plants.
Deep Sky combines atmospheric CO2 capture with permanent geological storage, with a long-term target of removing one million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere annually at scale.
Senator Leonhard described the Competence Center as creating new opportunities for companies and researchers to test how CO2 from ambient air can be used as a raw material for industry, including the development of synthetic fuels needed in aviation and shipping, strengthening Hamburg as a centre of innovation.
Alex Petre, CEO of Deep Sky, described real-world deployment as the decisive step in understanding technology performance and scaling carbon removal to industrial levels. Alexander Backs, Co-CEO of DACMA, emphasised the value of feeding continuous operational experience directly back into development.
Lorenz Kiene, Managing Director of eFUEL GROUP, highlighted the focus on integrating DAC into eFuels, eSAF and eMethanol production chains as a key objective for the centre.
