Aramco works to accelerate DAC development
Direct air capture is still in its infancy, but organisations are seeking to leverage global collaborations and AI to discover new materials, with an aim of scaling up the technology and cutting costs
Direct air capture (DAC) of CO₂ is a nascent technology, but one Saudi Aramco has been researching it in collaboration with academic institutions, research organisations and industry partners around the world. One research project with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) has led to the discovery of a new material to capture CO₂ from the air, which in turn has instigated development of a process to scale up DAC technology. The discovered material, known as Aramco-KAUST 7, is a nickel-based metal-organic framework with a network-like structure that acts like a sponge, selectively binding to CO₂ to trap it. The trapped CO₂ can then be released from the mate
Also in this section
19 February 2026
US LNG exporter Cheniere Energy has grown its business rapidly since exporting its first cargo a decade ago. But Chief Commercial Officer Anatol Feygin tells Petroleum Economist that, as in the past, the company’s future expansion plans are anchored by high levels of contracted offtake, supporting predictable returns on investment
19 February 2026
Growth in LNG supply will surpass the rise in demand in 2026 for the first time in years, according to Mike Fulwood, senior research fellow at the OIES, but lower prices are likely to encourage fuel switching and could create more demand on a permanent basis
19 February 2026
Awais Ali Butt, manager for sales and business development at Pakistan LNG Ltd, discusses LNG’s role in energy security across developing, price-sensitive economies, as well as examining trade-offs between buying strategies and the impact of lower prices and policy on import behaviour
19 February 2026
LNG’s technical maturity, availability and price, as well as regulation, have driven its rapid adoption as a marine fuel, yet its future in shipping will depend on transition policies and progress in cutting methane emissions and scaling bio- and synthetic LNG, according to Carlos Guerrero at Bureau Veritas
