What 280 Earth does

280 Earth is a U.S.-based climate technology company that designs and operates Direct Air Capture (DAC) systems to permanently remove carbon dioxide from ambient air. Founded in 2018 and incubated at Google X (Alphabet's Moonshot Factory), the company spent approximately five years developing a proprietary sorbent material and DAC process before commercializing it. Its first facility, located in The Dalles, Oregon on a former timber-industrial site, began operations in May 2024 with Phase 1 capacity of 500 tons of CO2 per year; the site is engineered to scale beyond 20,000 tons per year at full buildout. The system is designed to run on waste heat and generate fresh water as a byproduct, targeting lower energy intensity than electric-only DAC designs and positioning the company for co-location with data centers and other waste-heat-producing industrial assets.

280 Earth monetizes captured CO2 as carbon removal credits sold to corporate buyers through multi-year offtake agreements. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales, with named channels for credit purchasers and developers ([email protected]), targeting large technology companies, data center operators, and airlines. Google is both the incubator (via X/Alphabet) and the anchor customer through a reported $40 million offtake/financing agreement in 2024, and Volotea became the first European airline partner in March 2025. The company is privately held (11–50 employees, Palo Alto HQ), with backing from Alphabet, Builders VC, X the moonshot factory, and reportedly Sergey Brin, and has publicly stated plans to develop additional DAC facilities across the United States.

Name

280 Earth

Legal name

280 Earth

Website

https://280.earth

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

280 Earth is a U.S. Direct Air Capture company that uses a proprietary sorbent and waste-heat-powered process to permanently remove CO2 from ambient air, selling carbon removal credits to enterprise buyers under long-term offtake agreements. Its first commercial facility operates in The Dalles, Oregon.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Direct Air Capture and Carbon Removal Technology

NAICS

Industrial Gas Manufacturing (32512), Industrial Gas Manufacturing (325120)

SIC

Industrial Inorganic Chemicals (2810)

akta.pro primary industry

Direct Air Capture (DAC) Systems & Plants (EUABAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Carbon Removal Project Development, Financing & Offtake (Developers, Aggregators, Buyers Clubs) (EUABAFAL), Carbon Removal Credits Trading (DAC, BECCS, Biochar, Mineralization) (EUAGAIAL)

Keywords

• Direct air capture
• Carbon removal credits
• Climate technology
• Carbon dioxide removal
• DAC systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Mountain View

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Carbon Removal Credits: 280 Earth generates revenue by selling carbon removal credits/tons of CO2 captured to corporate buyers seeking to offset their emissions. They operate under offtake agreements where customers pay for permanent carbon removal.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

280 Earth manufactures and operates Direct Air Capture (DAC) systems that permanently extract CO2 from ambient air using a proprietary sorbent material. The dual-use system leverages waste heat for sorbent regeneration and produces fresh water as a byproduct, with the company's first commercial facility in The Dalles, Oregon scaling from 500 tons/year (Phase 1) to >20,000 tons/year at full buildout. Revenue is generated primarily by selling verified carbon removal credits to corporate buyers through long-term offtake agreements.

Product overview

280 Earth is a Direct Air Capture technology company that offers a single unified product: their proprietary DAC system that permanently removes CO2 from ambient air. The company operates their pilot facility in The Dalles, Oregon (Phase 1: 500 tons/year capacity, online since May 2024) with expansion planned to >20,000 tons/year. Their technology, developed over five years at Google X's Moonshot Factory, uses a novel sorbent material and leverages waste heat to minimize electricity use while also producing fresh water.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Direct Air Capture (DAC) System 280 Earth's core technology platform that pulls CO2 permanently out of ambient air using a novel proprietary sorbent material developed over five years. The system runs on waste heat to minimize electricity use and produces fresh water as a byproduct. It is sold to enterprise customers through long-term carbon removal credit offtake agreements.
• The Dalles DAC Facility 280 Earth's first commercial Direct Air Capture facility located in The Dalles, Oregon. Phase 1 captures 500 tons/year of CO2 with planned expansion to >20,000 tons/year at full buildout. The site utilizes waste heat to power the DAC process and produces fresh water as a byproduct that can offset local water use.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500 tons CO2 captured per year (pilot phase)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VoloteacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2025Volotea became the first European airline to collaborate with 280 Earth for carbon removal technology developed at Google X. Partnership announced March 2025.
• Alphabet (Google/X)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner280 Earth was incubated at Google X, The Moonshot Factory (Alphabet's innovation hub). Alphabet continues as a partner, with Google and X logos displayed on the company's website partners section, indicating ongoing strategic relationship.
• Port of The DallesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner supporting 280 Earth's DAC facility in The Dalles, Oregon. The port provided site access and infrastructure for the pilot plant.
• Columbia Gorge Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner in The Dalles supporting engineering education and workforce development for the DAC facility.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Climeworks: Swiss Direct Air Capture pioneer operating Orca and Mammoth plants; the most direct competitor to 280 Earth, also selling carbon removal credits to enterprise buyers via offtake agreements.
• 1PointFive (Carbon Engineering): Occidental-backed DAC operator building the STRATOS facility in Texas using Carbon Engineering's liquid-solvent technology; competes head-to-head with 280 Earth in the voluntary carbon removal market.
• Heirloom Carbon: California-based DAC company using limestone-based sorbent technology; closely comparable to 280 Earth in scale (pilot/early commercial), customer base (tech and aviation offtakes), and stage.

Emerging players

• CarbonCapture Inc. U.S. DAC startup developing solid-sorbent modules with co-located sequestration; overlaps with 280 Earth in customer segments (Frontier coalition buyers) and removal-credit offtake model, though at an earlier commercial stage.
• Avnos: Hybrid DAC technology developer combining CO2 capture with water generation; directly comparable to 280 Earth's dual-use (CO2 + fresh water) value proposition, though still at smaller pilot scale.
• Charm Industrial: Biomass-to-carbon-removal company (bio-oil sequestration) selling carbon removal credits to enterprise customers including tech companies; competes for the same Frontier/Google offtake pool as 280 Earth.

Broad incumbents

• Occidental Petroleum: Parent of 1PointFive and a major investor in DAC and CCUS infrastructure; an incumbent oil & gas major that competes indirectly with 280 Earth for carbon removal demand and is shaping the U.S. policy/regulatory landscape.
• ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions: Large incumbent developing DAC and CCUS (e.g., Baytown One80 facility) and selling into the voluntary carbon removal market; broader portfolio competitor to 280 Earth's focused DAC offering.

Others

• Frontier (Stripe-anchored coalition): Advance market commitment of tech buyers (Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify, Meta, McKinsey) purchasing carbon removal credits; a key offtake counterpart for 280 Earth, with Google as a member.
• Carbonfuture: Carbon removal credit registry and marketplace; serves as ecosystem infrastructure for DAC suppliers like 280 Earth to certify, track, and sell removal credits to enterprise buyers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/280earth
• Facebookfacebook.com/280earth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/280-earth

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 280 Earth