Prometheus Fuels Reports Breakthrough in Low-Cost Carbon Capture for Synthetic Fuels
Prometheus Fuels has announced it has reduced the cost of direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide to less than $50 per ton, a drop of more than 80% compared with current industry averages. The company says the advance makes it possible to produce carbon-neutral fuels at prices competitive with fossil fuels, without relying on subsidies, point-source emissions, or bio-derived carbon.
The achievement is demonstrated in Prometheus’ new 200-ton-per-year DAC system, now under construction and scheduled for completion this year. The system captures CO₂ from ambient air into water and feeds it directly into the company’s patented Faraday Reactor for conversion into fuel. By eliminating traditional processes such as gas purification, compression, absorption, and desorption, the company says it has significantly reduced energy use and capital costs.
Most DAC technologies today cost between $200 and $600 per ton of CO₂ captured, making synthetic fuels far more expensive than fossil-based alternatives. Prometheus’ approach aims to shift that cost dynamic by offering a modular, off-grid system that can be located wherever renewable electricity is most affordable, with liquid fuels transported globally as needed.
“This isn’t just a scientific breakthrough, it’s a whole new business model,” said Rob McGinnis, founder and CEO of Prometheus. “By combining ultra-low-cost DAC with modular, off-grid electrochemical fuel production, we can tap the cheapest solar resources worldwide and make them available anywhere as a new source of firm, dispatchable, carbon-neutral power.”
Prometheus’ cost claims and fuel economics were independently validated in a techno-economic analysis by Ramboll, a global engineering firm. The company has been operating a commercial-scale DAC prototype for more than four years at its Titan Forge Alpha pilot plant, which continues to produce e-fuels today. The new 200-ton modular system is designed to build on that platform and expand production capacity to meet demand from sectors such as data centers, factories, green steel, aviation, shipping, and municipal energy users.