Iceland has begun construction of the world’s largest facility to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and convert it to rock.
The Orca plant, called after the Icelandic word “orka,” which means “energy,” is made up of four units, each of which is made up of two metal boxes.
Points to Remember
Orca is a plant named after the Icelandic word “orka,” which means “energy.”
There are four units in the factory. Each unit consists of two metal boxes. In appearance, they resemble the containers used for maritime cargo.
According to firms the facility would remove 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2)
Reykjavik: The world’s largest facility for sucking carbon dioxide from the air and turning it into rock began operations on Wednesday, according to the firms behind it.
The plant, dubbed Orca after the Icelandic word “orka,” which means “energy,” is made up of four units, each of which is made up of two metal boxes that resemble shipping containers.
According to the firms, the facility, which was built by Climeworks in Switzerland and Carbfix in Iceland, would remove 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere every year when it is fully operational.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), that’s the equivalent of about 870 automobiles’ worth of pollution.
Uses fans to draw air into a collector; use of steel in collector units has decreased
The plant employs fans to draw air into a collector with a filter material inside to collect carbon dioxide.
“Orca was able to go live in less than 15 months as a result of this. The use of steel in collector units has decreased by about half per output unit compared to the previous technology generation, according to a statement.
Climeworks claims that the technique can be easily copied in numerous sites throughout the world and on greater proportions and that it can be done flexibly anywhere there is adequate renewable energy and storage.
According to the organization, its innovative technology has been optimized to capture more CO2 capture capacity per module than ever before, allowing the factory to store unprecedented volumes of greenhouse gas.
Who built the facility?
Clime Works in Switzerland and Carbfix in Iceland built the Orca plant.
Capacity of the plant
When fully operational, the plant will remove 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere each year. This quantity is comparable to nearly 870 automobiles’ worth of pollution, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
How will CO2 be collected?
To collect CO2, the Orca plant employs fans to draw air into a collector that contains filter material.
The collector is closed and the temperature is raised to release the carbon dioxide from the filter material once it has been loaded with carbon dioxide.
Highly concentrated gas can be collected as a result of this operation. CO2 is collected and mixed with water before being injected 1,000 meters underground into petrified basalt rock.
The plant’s importance
Carbon capture and storage (CCS), according to proponents, has the potential to become a major tool in the fight against climate change.
Orca runs entirely on renewable energy thanks to its ideal location next to ON Power’s Hellisheii Geothermal Power Plant.
What are the issues at hand?
This technology is still cost-prohibitive, and using it on a bigger scale will take decades. Critics, on the other hand, argue that the technology is still excessively expensive and that scaling it up could take decades.
