PlanetWEST, a West Coast development company,, claims to have created an entirely new, next-generation approach to carbon reduction that sidesteps the fundamental weaknesses of current DAC. Dubbed MIDAC (Pat. Pend.), the system is designed to be highly efficient, lower-cost, and rapidly scalable.
The world faces a perilous energy paradox. While the battle against climate change demands aggressive decarbonization, the accelerating demands of Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics, and global electrification are poised to drive a massive surge in energy consumption—and, inevitably, more carbon emissions. This surge further speeds up climate change, creating a critical race against time. Adding to this urgency is the increasing public scrutiny of existing Carbon Capture (CC) technologies. Press and climate experts are sharply questioning claims of CO2 capture efficiency, cost-per-ton, and, most critically, scalability.
MIDAC: A New Strategy for Carbon Capture
Amidst this perfect storm, a West Coast development company, PlanetWEST, claims to have created an entirely new, next-generation approach to carbon reduction that sidesteps the fundamental weaknesses of current DAC. Dubbed MIDAC (Pat. Pend.), the system is designed to be highly efficient, lower-cost, and rapidly scalable.
The most radical departure is its target: MIDAC does not primarily focus on capturing gaseous CO2. Instead, it targets solid carbon-based “particulate matter” including PM2.5, Black Carbon (BC), and plastic microparticles, besides others. This shift offers several game-changing advantages:
- A More Potent Target:Black Carbon, a key component of PM2.5, has an immediate warming effect up to 1,500 times greater than CO2 by mass. Capturing it delivers a much faster and more powerful climate benefit.
- Concentrated Emissions:Unlike CO2 (which is a consistent 0.04% of the air everywhere) particulate matter, and BC are highly concentrated over high emissions sources. These hotspots, largely found in the world’s mega-cities that make up about 2% of the planet’s surface, offer a more localized and energy-efficient capture opportunity.
Smarter, Cheaper, Faster: AI on the Front Lines
PlanetWEST claims its MIDAC technology delivers on the critical metrics where current systems fall short:
- High Efficiency:The company projects approximately a 90% capture rate for targeted particulates.
- Lower Cost:Captured carbon is estimated to cost between $60–$90 per ton, with the overall system build and operational costs estimated to be 60% less than current DAC technology.
- Built for Scale:MIDAC is designed with a smaller carbon footprint and lower build cost, enabling the rapid deployment necessary to meet the escalating threat of climate change.
The “AI” in MIDAC is central to its success. Rather than a massive, stationary plant trying to process diffuse air, MIDAC incorporates its capture modules into the urban environment, particularly into vehicles.
PlanetWEST has developed small, modular units that can be bolted to a vehicle’s radiator. A heavy-use delivery vehicle with a large radiator can process millions of cubic feet of air per year. The captured solid carbon is processed and stored in a small tank and can be offloaded at existing infrastructure, effectively turning gas stations into carbon recycling hubs.
The system uses AI, aided by satellite and ground sensors, to map real-time emission hotspots within a city. This intelligence allows the system to direct special high-capture vehicles to areas where pollution is thickest, maximizing the efficiency of the standard mobile capture fleet.
PlanetWEST believes that a new strategy is essential. By targeting the solid, concentrated, and highly-warming components of carbon pollution, and leveraging the organizational power of AI, PlanetWEST’s MIDAC offers a compelling new pathway to an intelligent climate control system desperately needed to support a rapidly stressed atmosphere.
