Direct air capture of carbon dioxide

A method of direct air capture of carbon dioxide comprising:

• a) providing a direct air capture of carbon dioxide system comprising:
• i) a hydroxide-based carbon dioxide capture system comprising:
• a hydroxide container having an inlet and an outlet;
• a hydroxide packing material that is permeable and is located within the hydroxide container;
• a hydroxide compound;
• a hydroxide solution containing said hydroxide compound that is dispensed onto the hydroxide packing material;
• a first air moving device that produces a first flow of ambient air through said hydroxide container and through said hydroxide packing material and over said hydroxide compound to extract carbon dioxide from said first flow of ambient air and produce a carbonate compound;
• a carbonate tank located under the hydroxide packing material to receive the carbonate compound by gravity, wherein the carbonate compound flows off the hydroxide packing material and into the carbonate tank;
• ii) a carbonate-based carbon dioxide capture system comprising:
• a carbonate container having an inlet and an outlet;
• a carbonate packing material that is permeable and is located within the carbonate container;
• a carbonate solution containing said carbonate compound that is dispensed onto the carbonate packing material;
• a second air moving device configured to direct a second flow of ambient air through said carbonate container through said carbonate packing material and over said carbonate compound from said hydroxide-based carbon dioxide capture system to produce a bicarbonate compound and extract carbon dioxide from the second flow of air;
• a bicarbonate tank located under the carbonate packing material to receive the bicarbonate compound by gravity,
• wherein the bicarbonate compound flows off the carbonate packing material and into the bicarbonate tank;
• and
• iii) a three-compartment electrolytic cell that comprises:
• an anode compartment;
• a cathode compartment;
• and
• a middle exchange compartment configured between the anode compartment and the cathode compartment and comprising a cation exchange material;
• wherein the three-compartment electrolytic cell receives water and the bicarbonate compound from the carbonate-based carbon dioxide capture system and produces said hydroxide compound;
• and
• wherein said hydroxide compound is transferred to the hydroxide-based capture system and wherein carbon dioxide, and oxygen are produced by the three-compartment electrolytic cell;
• b) reacting said carbon dioxide from the first flow of ambient air with the hydroxide compound in the hydroxide-based carbon dioxide capture system to produce said carbonate compound;
• c) reacting the carbon dioxide from the second flow of ambient air with the carbonate compound in the carbonate-based carbon dioxide capture system to produce said bicarbonate compound;
• and
• d) reacting the bicarbonate compound in the three-compartment electrolytic cell to produce a hydroxide solution, and carbon dioxide;
• wherein the carbonate compound from the hydroxide-based carbon dioxide capture system is transferred to the carbonate-based carbon dioxide capture system;
• and
• wherein the bicarbonate compound from the carbonate-based carbon dioxide capture system is transferred to the three-compartment electrolytic cell;
• wherein the hydroxide from the three-compartment electrolytic cell is transferred to the hydroxide-based carbon dioxide capture system.