image: A prototype of Kyushu University’s Direct Air Capture and Utilization (DAC-U) device and its ultra-thin nanomembrane is on display at Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan. The machine on the right captures the carbon dioxide, which the machine on the left converts to usable fuels or chemicals.
Credit: Kyushu University
Osaka, Japan—Imagine a future home powered by the air inside it.
In this home, a sleek, silver machine—no larger than a typical outdoor air conditioning unit—runs quietly and continuously. Its job? To capture carbon dioxide directly from the air and put it to use. The CO₂ it collects can be used in everyday ways: to carbonate drinks, to create methane for cooking on gas stoves, to promote plant growth, or even to be converted to electricity.
This is the carbon neutral vision laid out in Kyushu University’s exhibit, which is part of the “Future Society Showcase” at Expo 2025, Osaka, Kansai, Japan, open from April 13 to October 13, 2025. The exhibit is installed in the largest demonstration carbon capture test plant in Japan, which visitors to Expo 2025 can tour by reservation.
Kyushu University’s Direct Air Capture and Utilization device (known as DAC-U) is in development as part of a NEDO-Moonshot Project, led by Professor Shigenori Fujikawa from the International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (WPI-I²CNER) and Research Center for Negative Emissions Technologies (K-NETs) at Kyushu University.
DAC-U, along with other exhibited carbon capture technologies, is vital in the fight against climate change. CO₂ acts as a greenhouse gas that warms the planet, and its concentration in the atmosphere has risen sharply due to human activity, such as burning fossil fuels. Reducing this buildup, not only by lowering emissions but also by capturing CO₂ from the air, is essential for slowing global warming and creating a more sustainable future.
However, Fujikawa emphasizes the importance of open thinking about CO₂. “We should not treat CO₂ as a villain. If captured and recycled responsibly instead of allowing it to accumulate, it can be a valuable resource that we can use in our daily lives,” he says.
As part of Kyushu University’s exhibit, visitors can see a spinning disk that showcases the core of the technology behind DAC-U: an ultra-thin nanomembrane, 1/300th the thickness of plastic wrap. This filter, inspired by the selectivity of cell membranes, lets CO₂ pass through more easily than other gases in air, allowing the carbon dioxide to be concentrated.
“Using ultra-thin synthetic membranes to filter the air is an innovative technology unlike any other,” says Fujikawa.
DAC-U’s technology allows the research team to take a less conventional approach to carbon capture. Most current processes require significant amounts of land, money and energy. But as nanomembranes have lower energy requirements for capturing CO₂, Fujikawa is able to focus on developing small-scale, decentralized carbon capture that can take place even in densely populated cities like those in Japan, where large plots of land are scarce.
“Our message is that CO₂ capture can be ubiquitous—it can happen anywhere and anytime, in a school, factory or home,” says Fujikawa.
Fujikawa’s team is currently working on reducing the size of the machine, while improving its efficiency. The ultimate goal is for the machine to be able to meet the energy needs of an average household.
“The key is local production, local consumption. By capturing and recycling carbon on a local scale, this brings us one step closer to achieving a carbon-neutral society,” says Fujikawa.
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For more information about this exhibit, see RITE Future Forest: https://rite.or.jp/expo2025/en/
About Kyushu University
Founded in 1911, Kyushu University is one of Japan's leading research-oriented institutes of higher education, consistently ranking as one of the top ten Japanese universities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the QS World Rankings. The university is one of the seven national universities in Japan, located in Fukuoka, on the island of Kyushu—the most southwestern of Japan’s four main islands with a population and land size slightly larger than Belgium. Kyushu U’s multiple campuses—home to around 19,000 students and 8000 faculty and staff—are located around Fukuoka City, a coastal metropolis that is frequently ranked among the world's most livable cities and historically known as Japan's gateway to Asia. Through its VISION 2030, Kyushu U will “drive social change with integrative knowledge.” By fusing the spectrum of knowledge, from the humanities and arts to engineering and medical sciences, Kyushu U will strengthen its research in the key areas of decarbonization, medicine and health, and environment and food, to tackle society’s most pressing issues.
About the International Institute for Carbon-Neutral Energy Research (WPI-I²CNER), Kyushu University
I²CNER's mission is to contribute to the creation of a sustainable and environmentally-friendly society by advancing low-carbon emission and cost-effective energy systems, and improvement of energy efficiency. Through its mission-driven basic research, I²CNER has been developing and conducting research on scientific technologies to drastically reduce CO2 emissions.
About the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI)
The WPI program was launched in 2007 by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) to foster globally visible research centers boasting the highest standards and outstanding research environments. Numbering more than a dozen and operating at institutions throughout the country, these centers are given a high degree of autonomy, allowing them to engage in innovative modes of management and research. The program is administered by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).
See the latest research news from the centers at the WPI News Portal: https://www.eurekalert.org/newsportal/WPI