Canadian carbon removal developer Deep Sky has installed a Direct Air Capture (DAC) system designed by Airbus at its Deep Sky Alpha facility in Innisfail, Alberta. The modular unit, capable of removing 250 tonnes of CO₂ annually, was delivered following eight months of engineering and manufacturing.
The unit captures carbon dioxide from ambient air using a solid amine-based filter. Once saturated, the filter is heated to release concentrated CO₂, while CO₂-lean air is returned to the atmosphere. The system’s energy setup is designed to recover and optimise energy use during this temperature-swing process. The technology is adapted from life-support systems originally developed by Airbus Defence and Space for the International Space Station.
Alex Petre, Deep Sky’s CEO, said, “In order for carbon dioxide removal to have an impact, we need to develop technologies that can rapidly scale to remove billions of tons of CO₂ from the atmosphere. We’re incredibly pleased to be hosting Airbus technology in Canada and look forward to a continued partnership in the future.”
Deep Sky Alpha, which began operations earlier this year, is positioned as a testing and optimisation site for multiple DAC systems, as part of efforts to build out Canada’s carbon removal and storage capacity. The facility also issues carbon removal credits.
Alongside Airbus, Deep Sky has arrangements with several other DAC technology providers, including Airhive, Phlair, MissionZero, Skyrenu, Skytree, Carbon Capture Inc., and GE Vernova.
The installation comes after a period of increased activity for the company. In December 2024, Deep Sky received a US$40 million grant commitment from Breakthrough Energy Catalyst. The previous month, Royal Bank of Canada and Microsoft agreed to purchase 10,000 tonnes of CO₂ removals over ten years, with options for up to 1 million tonnes from Deep Sky’s project pipeline.
