The second generation of the world's largest carbon capture plant comes online: the annual capacity to absorb carbon dioxide from the air increases by 8 times

According to news from this site on May 11, in 2021, Swiss startup Climeworks AG cooperated with Icelandic carbon storage company Carbfix to develop Orca (Tiger Shark), the world's largest carbon capture plant that can absorb 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year.

Now, Climeworks has launched the second generation of the factory, which is capable of sucking carbon dioxide out of the air eight times more each year. The factory, called Mammoth, has 72 industrial fans and can absorb 36,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the air each year.

As with previous generations of Orca Industries, the CO2 will not be recycled but will be stored underground and permanently (within reason) Removed from the environment.

The plant is located on a dormant volcano, a site chosen because of its proximity to the Hellisheidi geothermal power plant, which is used to power the facility and heat chemical filters to harness water vapor Extract carbon dioxide. After extraction, the carbon dioxide is separated from the evaporator, compressed and dissolved in water. Finally, it is pumped into volcanic basalt 2,300 feet underground. This compound reacts with magnesium, calcium, and iron in the rock to form crystals that serve as solid reservoirs of carbon dioxide.

Although this plan sounds wonderful, it is only a drop in the bucket when it comes to global climate change. According to CBS News, Climeworks founder Jan Wurzbacher said that in order for the world to be "carbon neutral" by 2050, 60 to 16 billion tons of carbon dioxide would need to be removed from the air every year. In other words, the plant could only achieve 0.0006% of its target.

To this end, Wurzbacher implored other companies to join the cause. He said Climeworks aims to capture more than a million tonnes per year by 2030 and more than a billion tonnes by 2050.

The above is the detailed content of The second generation of the world's largest carbon capture plant comes online: the annual capacity to absorb carbon dioxide from the air increases by 8 times. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!