The Octavia Carbon Story

This case study describes Octavia Carbon, a Kenya-based startup utilizing Direct Air Carbon Capture (DACC) technology to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. The company leverages Kenya's geothermal energy and basaltic rock geology to reduce the costs associated with carbon sequestration and industrial CO2 production.

• Octavia Carbon is one of approximately twenty global companies developing DAC technologies and is currently the only company using this technology in the Global South. The company has a prototype and is developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for a paying customer. Initial machines will capture 5-10 tonnes of CO2 per year, with later versions capturing 100 tonnes per year. By the end of 2024, the company aims to produce at least one machine daily, adding approximately 40,000 tonnes of annual DACC capacity to the global market.
• Kenya provides specific natural advantages for DACC, including high-porosity basaltic rock in the Rift Valley for permanent CO2 storage and abundant geothermal activity. Because 80-90% of DACC energy requirements are low-grade heat (~80°C), Octavia Carbon can utilize waste heat from geothermal power production. Additionally, Kenya's grid is over 90% renewable (hydropower and geothermal), reaching virtually 100% in Central Kenya.
• Octavia Carbon intends to disrupt the cost structure of DAC, which currently ranges from $775 to $1,200 per tonne of CO2. The company projects its own price per tonne to be between $300 and $500, depending on the customer and market fundamentals. This cost advantage is attributed to Kenya's natural conditions and lower labor costs for engineers compared to the Global North.
• Captured CO2 will be used for permanent storage in rocks or sold to industries such as floriculture to enrich greenhouses, which increases plant photosynthesis and crop yields. The company aims to catalyze a circular carbon economy where captured CO2 is used to create synthetic plastics and fuels.

APA

TIMOTHYRADIER (2023). The Octavia Carbon Story. FSD Africa. https://fsdafrica.org/using-direct-air-carbon-capture-technology-to-address-emissions/

Chicago

TIMOTHYRADIER. The Octavia Carbon Story. FSD Africa, 2023. https://fsdafrica.org/using-direct-air-carbon-capture-technology-to-address-emissions/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=TIMOTHYRADIER |title=The Octavia Carbon Story |publisher=FSD Africa |date=9 August 2023 |url=https://fsdafrica.org/using-direct-air-carbon-capture-technology-to-address-emissions/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{timothyradier2023octavia, author = {TIMOTHYRADIER}, title = {{The Octavia Carbon Story}}, institution = {FSD Africa}, year = {2023}, month = aug, url = {https://fsdafrica.org/using-direct-air-carbon-capture-technology-to-address-emissions/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }