United Airlines’ UAV Sustainable Flight Fund has made a key investment in direct air capture (DAC) company Heirloom.
The Fund entered into an agreement for the right to purchase up to 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) to be delivered for the production of sustainable aviation fuel or permanently stored underground.
Heirloom accelerates the natural power of limestone to capture CO2 directly from the air making it one of the lowest cost pathways for removing carbon dioxide.
“Carbon capture is one of our country’s fastest growing, energy enabling pathways,” said Andrew Chang, head of United Airlines Ventures.
“At UAV, our primary focus is finding solutions for decarbonization that are profitable. Heirloom’s technology aligns directly with this objective, offering a scalable and commercially viable approach.”
Heirloom marks United’s third carbon capture investment but the first in a company commercializing direct air capture technology.
DAC is one of two main forms of carbon capture use and storage, along with point source capture.
Unlike point source capture which captures CO2 from a specific emitting source, like a power plant, DAC removes atmospheric CO2.
The UAV Sustainable Flight Fund is United’s investment vehicle designed to support start-ups focused on decarbonizing air travel.
