Aircapture, a US-based pioneer in modular direct air capture (DAC) technology, has signed an agreement with AIZAWA Concrete Corporation to install a DAC system at the company’s Fukushima RDM Centre in Namie Town, Fukushima Prefecture. The project marks Aircapture’s first venture in Japan and highlights how DAC can be integrated into industrial manufacturing.
The partnership addresses a growing challenge in Japan: a constrained and volatile CO₂ supply. Concrete production requires high-purity carbon dioxide, but reliance on industrial byproducts has led to price fluctuations, supply instability and additional emissions.
AIZAWA has been spearheading decarbonisation efforts since launching its aNET ZERO initiative in 2022, which now brings together 55 Japanese concrete manufacturers aiming to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035. The initiative promotes collaborative carbon-removal solutions, blockchain-based carbon-tracking systems, and technologies to permanently mineralise CO₂ in concrete. However, supply shortages have pushed the company to explore DAC as an alternative source.
Aircapture’s modular, containerised systems will provide AIZAWA with a localised and reliable stream of captured CO₂. At the Fukushima site, the gas will be injected into wastewater from manufacturing operations to form calcium carbonate, which can then be reused as a raw material for concrete. The process reduces costs, minimises imported materials, cuts emissions and supports Japan’s wider industrial decarbonisation strategy.
“Japan has always been at the forefront of industrial innovation, and AIZAWA shares our vision to transform the industry,” said Matt Atwood, founder and chief executive of Aircapture. “This partnership demonstrates how DAC can seamlessly integrate into existing manufacturing processes while creating permanent carbon sequestration.”
The Fukushima project showcases a circular manufacturing model in which atmospheric carbon becomes a building block for construction materials. Installation is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025.
Aircapture is currently developing similar projects across North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia, seeking to scale up commercially viable carbon removal solutions that can be embedded within existing industries.
