The University of Delaware is developing an electrochemically-driven carbon dioxide (CO2) separator (EDCS) using poly(aryl piperidinium) (PAP) ionomers that performs near-continuous CO2 separation from air under ambient conditions at a rate of 0.4 mol/m2-hr with ≤ 235 kJ/mol (1.48 MWh/t) electrical energy input and zero thermal energy input. The novel EDCS process is distinct from thermal separation technologies for direct air capture (DAC) by use of an electrochemical driving force across a membrane to perform both capture and release of CO2 within a single electrochemical cell.