UK-based direct air capture company Airhive has acquired Dutch DAC developer Carbyon. The combined company will operate under the Airhive name and integrate teams across the UK and the Netherlands. The acquisition aims to combine Airhive's execution power with Carbyon's R&D depth to accelerate deployment of low-cost carbon removal at scale. The companies say their technologies are complementary. Carbyon's DAC system can achieve 90% sorbent saturation in about 100 seconds, roughly 200 times faster than conventional solutions. Airhive uses a fluidized-bed process with mineral sorbent particles suspended in fast-moving airflow. The deal comes as the EU recently certified DAC under its Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming framework and the UK plans to integrate DAC-based credits into its Emissions Trading Scheme by 2028-2029. The enlarged company will focus on both carbon utilization and storage projects. This includes working with investor Coca-Cola Europacific Partners to install a DAC system at a European bottling plant for low-carbon beverage production. Airhive will also continue the UnionDAC project, which targets 60,000 tons of annual carbon removal capacity by 2032.
