Kawasaki unveils new direct air capture system

November 13, 2025

Kawasaki Heavy Industries has announced the completion of one of Japan’s largest direct air capture (DAC) demonstration facilities at its Kobe plant, marking a major step forward in the country’s efforts to develop technology that removes carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere.

Direct air capture relies on advanced chemical processes to extract CO₂ from open air, enabling the captured carbon to be either permanently stored or repurposed in industrial applications. As nations push toward net-zero emissions, DAC is increasingly viewed as an important solution for offsetting unavoidable emissions from sectors such as aviation, steelmaking, and maritime transport.

Standing 13 meters tall, Kawasaki’s new DAC unit can capture between 100 and 200 tonnes of CO₂ annually. The system uses a proprietary solid sorbent that releases CO₂ at around 60°C—far lower than the 100–120°C typically required by conventional liquid absorption systems. According to the company’s 12 November announcement, this lower regeneration temperature allows the system to operate using waste heat from factories, significantly reducing energy consumption and environmental impact.

Kawasaki says the design builds on carbon-removal technologies originally developed for submarines and space stations. While capturing CO₂ from ambient air is more energy-intensive than scrubbing emissions from industrial stacks, the company’s low-temperature regeneration approach aims to overcome one of the biggest cost barriers associated with DAC.

Globally, the United States and Europe remain leaders in deploying large-scale DAC projects, with major facilities under construction in countries such as the US and Iceland. In contrast, most Asian nations—including Japan—are still operating pilot-scale or research-level systems, and commercial deployment remains limited.

Although the new Kobe demonstration plant is small compared to global DAC projects, it is a meaningful milestone for Japan. Kawasaki aims to scale the technology dramatically, targeting a commercial DAC system capable of capturing 500,000 to 1 million tonnes of CO₂ per year by 2030. If achieved, this would rank among the largest DAC deployments announced in Asia.

The company anticipates strong demand from emerging economies that rely heavily on fossil fuels, particularly in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and parts of Africa. This aligns with Japan’s broader strategy of exporting industrial and clean-energy technologies while supporting decarbonization efforts overseas through technology transfer.

“Alongside reducing emissions, separation and capture are indispensable technologies,” said Motohiko Nishimura, Kawasaki’s executive vice president, during a press briefing. “We will work to cultivate new markets as we advance toward a decarbonized society.”

Kawasaki’s expansion into DAC comes at a time when Japanese heavy industries—including chemicals, steel, and shipping—are under increasing pressure to cut their carbon footprint while still depending on fossil-fuel-based processes.

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has designated carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) and carbon-recycling technologies as core growth sectors under its Green Transformation (GX) Plan. Japan’s updated energy strategy targets a 60% reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions by fiscal year 2035 and a 73% reduction by fiscal year 2040 compared with 2013 levels, with net-zero emissions set for 2050.

To support these goals, Japan aims to capture or store 6–12 million tonnes of CO₂ annually by 2030 and scale this to 120–240 million tonnes per year by 2050.