US startup Capture6 has started operating its first industrial-scale demonstration plant in Western Australia. Project Tortuga, located near Perth, combines direct air capture with freshwater recovery from industrial brine. The system uses an electrochemical process to convert salts into an alkaline solvent that absorbs CO2 from the air, while also producing freshwater. The company has not disclosed the plant's capture capacity or water output, but says the two outputs come from a single integrated system. Capture6 is also developing Project Monarch in California with the Palmdale Water District. In its second commercial phase, that project could capture 25,000 tonnes of CO2 per year and recover 400,000 cubic meters of freshwater annually. The company claims it could save the water district up to 40% on brine management costs. DAC still faces high energy requirements and high costs, but pairing carbon removal with water treatment is one way to improve the economics.
