Climeworks is a company that uses direct air capture technology. They currently have a plant in Iceland. You can read about how this process works and its costs in this article. You can also learn about the alternatives to this process. Hopefully, this information will be helpful to you in making a decision about the best option for your business.
Climeworks’ Direct Air Capture Process
The Climeworks’ direct air capture process extracts H 2 O from air through a chemical reaction. This process is sensitive to ambient temperature and humidity levels, but can effectively extract H 2 O from air. Once carbon dioxide is captured, the process uses geothermal power to inject it deep underground where it can react with basalt and become solid carbonate rock.
Climeworks’ carbon removal process is also compatible with renewable energy sources. The company has already signed a contract with Coca-Cola HBC Switzerland to supply atmospheric CO2 to its mineral water brand Valser. The company also plans to start offering DACS services to the general public, bringing the largest DAC plant to production by 2020.
Climeworks Plans To Expand Its DACCS
- Several companies have begun operating DACCS plants, but most of them are small and capture only a few hundred tons of CO2 a year.
- Climeworks plans to expand its DACCS plant in Iceland and sequester thousands of tons of CO2 per year.
Its Current Plant in Iceland
Air capture is a method of capturing carbon dioxide and turning it into electricity. Climeworks’ current plant in Iceland uses a geothermal power plant, located 15 miles outside of Reykjavik, Iceland. The geothermal power plant utilizes the heat that naturally occurs in the area, where volcanic activity is high. The heat is used to power turbines that generate electricity. The plant generates about 300 megawatts of electricity and 130 megawatts of heat.
In the early stages, Climeworks’ plant in Iceland was mainly used to remove carbon from the air and store it underground, where it is mineralized. It also sells this carbon dioxide to fizzy drinks and greenhouses. Climeworks hopes to open a commercial air carbon capture and storage plant in Iceland by 2021. It will have the capacity to remove about 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year.
What is Carbfix?
The new plant will be 10 times larger than the company’s existing plant, which is the largest air capture plant in the world. It will feature 80 large blocks of fans that will draw CO2 from the air. The CO2 will then be mixed with water and be converted into rock by a chemical reaction called Carbfix.
Cost of Direct Air Capture
You’ve been calculating the cost of direct air capture with a carbon dioxide capture system, you know that it’s expensive. In fact, academic estimates for the carbon dioxide removal cost range from $400 to $1000 per ton. But that cost is based on the CO2 concentration in the flue gases of power plants. Plus, direct air capture requires a great deal of energy.
Cost is a major factor, but direct air capture can significantly impact climate change. Depending on the technology, the process could be used to create concrete or carbon fiber, which will reduce the carbon footprint. However, many have expressed concerns about the cost of direct air capture. In the past, it was considered a fantasy technology and not likely to scale. But the growing demand for carbon removal technologies means that direct air capture could become a big growth area.
Climeworks Is a Spin-Off from ETH Zurich
Climeworks is a spin-off from ETH Zurich. Founded in 2009 by two students, the company has now grown to more than forty-five employees. The company has also received $20 million in financing, including $5 million from the Swiss government and $15m from private equity firms.
Direct air capture (DAC) is a technology that is used to absorb CO2 from the air. It is a relatively small-scale process and uses a series of chemical reactions to capture the gas. The most popular systems use liquid solvents and solid sorbents and release the captured CO2 with heat. Depending on the type of system and the temperature and humidity in the region, the water usage may be minimal or large.
Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Direct air capture is a method for carbon removal that can offset the carbon output from sectors that are difficult to decarbonize. It can also support a faster transition to net-zero emissions. The technology was originally intended for use in space or deep beneath the ocean, where excess CO2 could be life-threatening. However, it has only recently been adapted for commercial use. The technology is a form of carbon sequestration and is gaining popularity as a practical way to address climate change.
Climeworks claims that its flagship plant in Iceland can trap 4,000 tons of carbon each year. However, that number is not nearly enough to counteract the global warming effect. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, technological methods such as direct air capture will need to scale up.