World’s Largest Carbon Capture Facility

The largest direct air capture (DAC) plant to date recently became operational in Iceland. Known as Orca, the facility will be able to remove 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere every year at full capacity. Once removed, the CO2 will be safely stored underground where it will be converted to stone in approximately two years.

The system operates by drawing ambient air into a collector containing a filter material. When the filter is saturated with carbon dioxide, geothermally-heated water raises the temperature of the collector to release highly concentrated CO2, which is then mixed with water and injected into the ground to a depth of 1,000 meters. There the CO2 reacts with basalt rock to form carbonate minerals.

Another facility in Scotland, which will be capable of capturing 500,000 to 1 million metric tons of CO2, aims to be operational by 2026. However, both plants will need to focus on innovative plans to make their service economically feasible. DAC facilities are expensive to operate and scaling up the technology to meet the needs of industrial customers is a challenge. Regardless, they could be an important tool in combatting climate change over the long term.

For information: Climeworks AG, Birchstrasse 155, CH-8050 Zurich, Switzerland; phone: +41-(0)44-533-2999; email: contact@climeworks.com; Web site: https://climeworks.com/ Carbon Engineering Ltd., P.O. Box 187, 37322 Galbraith Road, Squamich, B.C., Canada V8B 0A2; Web site: https://carbonengineering.com/