Materials Characterization Intern - Microwave Systems

The benefits of using NGK ceramics in Direct Air Capture. September 15, 2026 Ceramic materials enable more efficient, durable and cost-effective Direct Air Capture systems, helping accelerate global efforts to fight climate change As climate change causes serious problems worldwide, developers and engineers are working to reverse its effects by removing carbon from the atmosphere. Direct Air Capture (DAC) technologies are similar to Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), but instead of capturing carbon at its source, DAC removes carbon that is already in the atmosphere. Many DAC technologies are being developed to remove carbon from the air. For example, Climeworks uses a collector with a fan powered by renewable energy to pull in air and capture CO[2] on a solid material. In another project, Aircapture from California and NGK from Japan are working together on a DAC system that uses ceramics. Aircapture designed, supplied, and set up a DAC demonstration system using NGK's ceramic materials under their agreement. The system is installed at AIZAWA Concrete's research and manufacturing centre in Fukushima. The captured CO[2] is added to the concrete plant's wastewater, where it turns into calcium carbonate. The plant then uses this material directly to make new concrete. "Aircapture's modular DAC systems use smaller, standardised units rather than large centralised installations, allowing deployment directly on-site at a customer's facility," says Matt Atwood, Founder & CEO at Aircapture. "Aircapture's modular design allows manufacturing learning curves to be applied across many identical units " Matt AtwoodCEO and Founder, Aircapture "NGK's ceramic substrates combine high surface area, low pressure loss, and low heat capacity within a single honeycomb structure. Compared with conventional pellet-based materials, this structured design reduces airflow resistance while maintaining high CO[2] capture efficiency, and the lightweight ceramic construction lowers regeneration energy requirements. "Ceramics are also well suited to the repeated heating cycles required for CO[2] desorption and regeneration, offering strong thermal and mechanical stability compared with many alternative materials. "NGK's long experience in automotive ceramics manufacturing also provides established production infrastructure that supports future scalability and supply capability." In addition to reducing blower energy consumption through lower pressure loss, its lightweight, thin-wall design lowers thermal capacity and reduces the energy required during CO[2] desorption and regeneration. "For DAC technologies to achieve broader adoption, it is essential not only to demonstrate technical performance but also to validate performance and durability under real operating conditions," says Motoo Noritake, Senior Vice President and Group Executive, Environment Business Group, General Manager, NGK Corporation. "Through this demonstration with Aircapture and AIZAWA Concrete, Sustainability Mag will accelerate efforts toward the practical deployment of DAC systems. The project aims to demonstrate lower energy use, which would help improve its Return on Investment (ROI) and overall cost efficiency. "Aircapture's modular design allows manufacturing learning curves to be applied across many identical units, improving cost and performance faster than a single large-scale plant would allow," adds Matt. "Within the system, the contactor material contributes to cost reduction in several ways: lower operating costs enabled by reduced pressure loss and blower energy requirements, more compact equipment designs enabled by high surface area, and potential lifecycle cost reductions through reuse and recoating of ceramic substrates." Japan is a target market for DAC. Japan is aiming for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, backed by interim targets of a 60% reduction by 2035 and a 73% reduction by 2040 (from a 2013 baseline). However, the shift to a decarbonised economy is slow. "Almost all of Japan's industrial CO[2] today comes from fossil-based processes. Japan's 2050 carbon neutrality target requires phasing that supply out, and there is currently no plan to replace it," explains Matt. "That is why Sustainability Mag prioritised Japan as an early market. In this demonstration, Sustainability Mag installed NGK's ceramic substrate in a working Aircapture system to test its performance under real conditions, not only in the lab. What Sustainability Mag learn here will support its plan to commercialize DAC in Japan. "Aircapture views Japan as a strong long-term market for DAC, given the country's limited domestic supply of high-purity CO[2] and a policy environment that is expected to strengthen demand for low-carbon CO[2]. Aircapture intends to build on the Aizawa and NGK collaboration to expand its presence in Japan, working with domestic partners across manufacturing, materials, and end-use applications." Executives. * Matt Atwood Founder & CEO * Motoo Noritake Senior Vice President and Group Executive, Environment Business Group, General Manager Company Portals

Aircapture and NGK begin joint DAC demonstration project at AIZAWA Concrete. BERKELEY, Calif. and NAGOYA, Japan, August 25, 2026 - Aircapture Inc., which designs and deploys modular direct air capture (DAC) systems that produce high-purity CO2 on-site for industrial customers, and NGK Corporation, a developer of key DAC components based on its proprietary ceramic technologies, have begun a collaboration aimed at advancing the practical deployment of DAC technologies. As part of this initiative, Aircapture has designed, supplied and commissioned a DAC demonstration system incorporating NGK's ceramic substrates for DAC to AIZAWA Concrete Corporation, where the system is being evaluated under real-world operating conditions. This project marks Aircapture's first deployment in Japan and NGK's first DAC demonstration in a commercial operating environment. Project Overview and Significance The demonstration utilizes a DAC system installed at AIZAWA Concrete's Fukushima RDM Center. By combining Aircapture's DAC technology with NGK's advanced ceramic substrates developed specifically for DAC applications, the project is evaluating system performance, operational characteristics, and durability under real-world operating conditions. The demonstration will also explore potential utilization pathways for captured CO2, including concrete mineralization. A carbon-neutral future requires reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing emissions already in the atmosphere, capturing CO2 and putting it to beneficial use or long-term storage. DAC has emerged globally as one of the most promising negative-emissions technologies, and this demonstration represents an important opportunity to evaluate CO2 capture performance, operational reliability, and durability under real operating conditions, testing NGK's ceramic substrate technology inside a working Aircapture system. Technical Synergy Between Aircapture and NGK Aircapture develops and deploys modular DAC systems that can be installed directly at industrial and manufacturing facilities, promoting the capture and circular utilization of atmospheric CO2 to supply high-purity CO2 on-site. At the Fukushima RDM Center, the project is evaluating the potential for incorporating captured CO2 into concrete manufacturing processes and permanently storing it within building materials. NGK is applying ceramic technology originally developed for automotive emissions-control applications to create advanced honeycomb-structured ceramic substrates for DAC systems. Compared with pellet-based approaches, the honeycomb structure promotes more uniform airflow and enables efficient CO2 capture. In addition to reducing blower energy consumption through lower pressure loss, its lightweight, thin-wall design lowers thermal capacity and reduces the energy required during CO2 desorption and regeneration. The combination of Aircapture's system integration capabilities and NGK's advanced ceramic technologies is expected to deliver several benefits, including: * Efficient capture of atmospheric CO2 * Reduced blower energy consumption through lower pressure drop * Reduced regeneration energy through lower thermal capacity * More compact DAC system configurations * Lower overall system costs * Expanded deployment of modular DAC systems and growth in CO2 capture and utilization opportunities Through this collaboration, Aircapture and NGK aim to address key technical and economic barriers to broader DAC deployment. Executive Comments Matt Atwood, Founder and CEO, Aircapture Inc. "Almost all of Japan's industrial CO2 today comes from fossil-based processes. Japan's 2050 carbon neutrality target requires phasing that supply out, and there is currently no plan to replace it. That is why we prioritized Japan as an early market. In this demonstration, we installed NGK's ceramic substrate in a working Aircapture system to test its performance under real conditions, not only in the lab. What we learn here will support our plan to commercialize DAC in Japan." Motoo Noritake, Senior Vice President and Group Executive, Environment Business Group, General Manager, NGK Corporation "Leveraging more than a century of ceramic technology expertise, NGK is developing advanced materials that improve DAC performance while contributing to lower system costs. For DAC technologies to achieve broader adoption, it is essential not only to demonstrate technical performance but also to validate performance and durability under real operating conditions. Through this demonstration with Aircapture and AIZAWA Concrete, we will accelerate efforts toward the practical deployment of DAC systems." Aircapture is expanding its modular DAC deployments across additional industrial and commercial sites, applying what it learns at each installation to bring down system cost. NGK is continuing development of next-generation ceramic substrates for DAC that are lighter and more energy efficient than current products. Leveraging its global manufacturing platform developed through the automotive industry, NGK is also preparing for future volume production to support the growth of the DAC market. Together, Aircapture and NGK will continue strengthening their collaboration and accelerating the practical deployment of DAC technologies, helping expand the adoption of negative-emissions solutions worldwide. a DAC system installed at AIZAWA Concrete's Fukushima RDM Center NGK's ceramic substrates for DAC incorporated into the DAC system under demonstration