Swiss start-up Climeworks AG says construction of its second large-scale direct air capture plant will be completed in Iceland in 18-24 months and will be able to suck 36,000 tonnes of CO2 out of the air each year.
Construction on the plant is set to begin on Wednesday and will be the largest carbon dioxide capture plant in the world, surpassing the company’s current plant by 10 times. That plant is currently the world’s largest.
The new plant will contain roughly 80 blocks of fans and filters that will extract CO2 from the air. Another company, Carbfix, will then mix the CO2 with water and store it underground where a chemical reaction will turn it into stone.
The 36,000 tonnes of CO2 the $627 million facility will suck from the air will only offset a tiny fraction of the more than 36 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions produced annually. But the company says it represents a large leap for the technology and exponential growth of it may be necessary for the world to meet its climate goals.
Currently, there are 18 carbon capture facilities in the world, with another set to be built by U.S. oil company Occidental, planned to launch in 2024. That plant will be capable of capturing 1 million tonnes of CO2 annually.
Unfortunately, the process to put carbon into the ground can cause some carbon emissions itself. Carbfix will use geothermal power to perform that service for the Climeworks factory. While geothermal power is much cleaner than traditional fossil fuel plants, it is not without some carbon emissions.
While climate scientists say that carbon-capturing plants are likely a necessary part of fighting climate change, they should not be seen as a silver bullet. Reducing emissions is still considered the best way to head off climate change.