Techno-economic feasibility and environmental adaptability of moisture-swing adsorption for global carbon removal

Direct air capture (DAC) is one of the essential portfolios for global climate governance and net-zero goals by the 2050s. Moisture-swing adsorption (MSA) emerges as an energy-efficient carbon removal pathway that can capture CO2 from the ambient by humidity regulation, yet its multidisciplinary scalability remains underexplored. This study evaluates a temperature-assisted moisture-vacuum-swing process integrated with industrial waste heat. The optimized energy consumption and levelized cost achieve 1,083 kWh·t−1 and 228 $·t−1 based on experimentally obtained sorbent properties, with projections reaching $36–$153/t-CO2 by 2050 through learning-by-doing effects. Crucially, global climatic mapping identifies cold and mild regions as strategic hubs, where environmental conditions naturally mitigate energy penalties. By addressing the “water-energy-carbon” nexus, our analysis highlights how humidity-dependent performance influences technical evolution, regional resource planning, and environmental policy. These findings provide a strategic roadmap for stakeholders, bridging technical innovation with global economic and climate goals to accelerate sustainable carbon removal deployment.