World's Largest Carbon Capture System Is Live, Will Suck 4000 Tonnes Of CO2 Per Year
Named the Orca plant ( after the Icelandic word for energy), it consists of eight large containers that are often used to ship goods on a ship. However, these containers house high-tech filters and fans to extract carbon dioxide from the air.
The world¡¯s largest carbon capture plant finally started its operations on Wednesday, September 8th.
Reuters
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Reported first by Reuters, the massive plant is based in Iceland and has been developed by Swiss startup Climeworks AG that specialises in capturing harmful carbon dioxide straight from the air. The plant has been developed in collaboration with Icelandic carbon storage firm Carbfix and the plant is capable of absorbing up to 4,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year.
To put this into perspective, it's as much emissions as released by 790 gasoline cars. Global CO2 emissions for last year totalled 31.5 billion tonnes, according to a report by the International Energy Agency.
Named the Orca plant ( after the Icelandic word for energy), it consists of eight large containers that are often used to ship goods on a ship. However, these containers house high-tech filters and fans to extract carbon dioxide from the air.
Also Read: COVID-19 Lockdown Reduced Only 8% CO2 Emissions On Earth, Which Is Not Sufficient
The carbon is then mixed with water and pushed deep underground where it transforms slowly into a rock. The technologies are running on renewable energy from geothermal power plants.
Unsplash
It is important to note that direct air capture is still an expensive affair, however, developers are innovating to scale up the setup to allow more companies and consumers to reduce their carbon footprint.
Also Read: If CO2 Emissions Are Cut To Zero, Earth Will Still Take More Than A Decade To Cool Off
According to the International Energy Agency, today, our world has 15 direct air capture plants that are capturing over 9,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year. In the US, oil firm Occidental is also working on making the largest direct air-capture facility that would be capable of pulling up to 1 million tonnes of co2 emissions per year near its Texas oilfields.
What do you think about these carbon capture technologies? Will it help reduce global warming and reverse climate change? Let us know in the comments below, and keep reading Indiatimes.com for the latest buzz in science and technology.
