Corning Incorporated (NYSE: GLW), one of the world’s leading innovators in glass, ceramics, and materials science and Aircapture, the leader in modular direct air capture and utilization (DAC) technology, today announced the transition of their multi-year collaboration toward commercial deployment and scale-up. Corning is supplying advanced honeycomb ceramic materials engineered for efficient carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture in Aircapture’s modular DAC systems.
After several years of joint pilot-stage research, development, and system integration, the technology is moving into early commercial deployment. Aircapture has begun deploying modular DAC systems across beverage, concrete, and other industrial markets, while Corning is scaling its newest substrate technology engineered specifically for CO2 capture to support broader commercial adoption.
“Aircapture was founded on the premise that atmospheric CO₂ is not just a problem to be reduced, but a resource that can be put to productive use,” said Matt Atwood, Founder and CEO of Aircapture. “Aircapture is bringing commercially viable DAC pathways to market by producing high-purity CO₂ that meets real demand today — while delivering a clear value proposition and a path to long-term scalability. Partnerships like Corning who bring world-class ceramic engineering expertise play an important role in that progress. This level of technical collaboration is essential to building and deploying DAC systems that are profitable and scalable.”
Corning’s commercial prototype draws on decades-long ceramics expertise. More than 50 years ago, the company pioneered ceramic substrate and extrusion technologies for vehicular emissions control. Corning’s newest substrate features an engineered microstructure that is optimized for solid sorbent and flow-through adsorption processes. It supports continuous operation and provides durability under direct air capture conditions. Aircapture’s proprietary DAC platform, system architecture, and process design drive overall performance, with real-world deployment data continuously informing improvements in system efficiency, durability, and energy use.
Aircapture’s modular DAC units are compact, rapidly deployable, and designed for manufacturable scale. Systems can be installed and commissioned in days rather than months and have shown to produce CO₂ at up to 99.998% purity for use in commercial applications — including beverage carbonation, greenhouse agriculture, concrete processing, and other industrial uses — as well as permanent sequestration.
“For over 175 years, Corning has applied its expertise in materials science to help solve some of the world’s toughest challenges. Carbon capture represents an important new opportunity,” said Willard Cutler, Division Vice President and Commercial Technology Director, Corning Environmental Technologies. “Our focus is on providing customers with the innovations they need to bring new solutions to scale. We’re pleased to collaborate with Aircapture as it advances commercial deployment of direct air capture.”
The collaboration builds on demonstrated field successes. Under Project Hajar, in the UAE, Aircapture deployed eight modular DAC units featuring Corning’s substrates and achieved operational status in 17 days. Aircapture was later named as a winner of the XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition, underscoring both technical performance and the scalability of its approach.
The International Energy Agency estimates that carbon removal will need to scale to billions of tons annually by mid-century. By combining Aircapture’s modular system architecture with Corning’s advanced ceramics capabilities, the companies will help the world capture CO₂ directly from the air — transforming it into a valuable industrial resource across both legacy industrial applications and the emerging carbon economy.
About Aircapture
Aircapture builds modular, scalable systems that extract CO₂ directly from the atmosphere for use in industrial applications. The company enables manufacturers and materials producers to access renewable, atmospheric CO₂ on-site, supporting localized supply chains and circular carbon solutions. For more information, visit www.aircapture.com.
About Corning Incorporated
Corning Incorporated is one of the world's leading innovators in materials science, with a 175-year track record of life-changing inventions. Corning applies its unparalleled expertise in glass science, ceramic science, and optical physics along with its deep manufacturing and engineering capabilities to develop category-defining products that transform industries and enhance people's lives. Corning succeeds through sustained investment in RD&E, a unique combination of material and process innovation, and deep, trust-based relationships with customers who are global leaders in their industries. Corning's capabilities are versatile and synergistic, which allows the company to evolve to meet changing market needs, while also helping our customers capture new opportunities in dynamic industries. Today, Corning's markets include optical communications, mobile consumer electronics, display, automotive, solar, semiconductors, and life sciences. For more information, visit www.corning.com.
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Kaitlin Cutler
Media Relations, Corning Incorporated
cutlerk@corning.com
+1 607-974-0203
Christopher Keenan
Investor Relations, Corning Incorporated
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