Dr. Klaus Lackner

Methodology focus

Director of the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions at Arizona State University. In 1999 was the first researcher to formally propose direct air capture as a climate solution. Inventor of 'Mechanical Trees' passive-DAC technology. The foundational voice of the DAC field.

Trellison / LedgerWell intersection. Foundational authority — endorsement = gravitas.

Affiliation

Arizona State University — Center for Negative Carbon Emissions

Role

Director

Axis

Engineering CDR

Tier

Tier 2

Selected publications

1999 — A guide to CO2 sequestration. Science (foundational DAC paper).
Ongoing — Mechanical Trees technology and deployment papers. multiple venues.

Alignment with proof packs

Their methodology / role	Proof-pack / Trellison fit
DAC measurement fundamentals	Proof-pack schema must pass Lackner's physics-first review
Passive DAC economic model	Proof-pack cost decomposition formalises Lackner's economic framing

Collaboration concepts

Concept 1

Mechanical Trees proof-pack field study

Deploy proof-pack instrumentation at an ASU CNCE pilot site.

Concept 2

DAC fundamentals textbook chapter with proof-pack reference implementation

Contribute a methodology chapter to a forthcoming Lackner-edited volume.

Outreach approach

Proposed opening message

Subject: A verification substrate for engineered-CDR claims

Dear Klaus Lackner,

Your work on engineered carbon removal has defined the technical bar for what a credible claim looks like. At Trellison Institute we have been building a per-tonne open-data verification instrument — the proof pack — that aims to make your integrity criteria legible at market scale.

I would welcome a 30-minute conversation to show you the current alpha. We are not asking for endorsement; we are asking for methodology critique and, if useful, an offer of alpha access for your active work. Independent negative evaluations would be published alongside positive ones.

A one-page methodology brief that maps your work to proof-pack schema fields — with gaps flagged honestly — is attached.

With respect,
Rob Stillwell
Director, Trellison Institute

What we do not ask for

Endorsement of Trellison, LedgerWell, DaedArch, or any affiliated entity.
Exclusivity or first-look rights on research findings.
Unpaid labour. Any advisor role is compensated with a modest honorarium and disclosed on the record.

Disclosure: Compiled from public sources through April 2026. Inclusion does not imply endorsement, affiliation, or reciprocal interest. Corrections: About.

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