Can it work: Machine that captures carbon turned on

[Atticus Pizzaballa]

Can it work? / World’s biggest machine capturing carbon from air turned on in Iceland

Operators say the Orca plant can suck 4,000 tonnes of CO2 out of the air every year and inject it deep into the ground to be mineralised




Agence France-Presse

Wed 8 Sep 2021 20.24 EDT



The world’s largest plant designed to suck carbon dioxide out of the air and turn it into rock has started running, the companies behind the project said on Wednesday.



The plant, named Orca after the Icelandic word “orka” meaning “energy”, consists of four units, each made up of two metal boxes that look like shipping containers.



Constructed by Switzerland’s Climeworks and Iceland’s Carbfix, when operating at capacity the plant will draw 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide out of the air every year, according to the companies.



The climate crisis requires a new culture and politics, not just new tech
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, that equates to the emissions from about 870 cars. The plant cost between US$10 and 15m to build, Bloomberg reported.



To collect the carbon dioxide, the plant uses fans to draw air into a collector, which has a filter material inside.



Once the filter material is filled with CO2, the collector is closed and the temperature is raised to release the CO2 from the material, after which the highly concentrated gas can be collected.



The CO2 is then mixed with the water before being injected at a depth of 1,000 metres into the nearby basalt rock where it is mineralised.



Proponents of so-called carbon capture and storage believe these technologies can become a major tool in the fight against climate change.



Critics however argue that the technology is still prohibitively expensive and might take decades to operate at scale.



www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/09/worlds-biggest-plant-to-turn-carbon-dioxide-into-rock-opens-in-iceland-orca?utm_term=ced85aae4848ef4dbd049a1f97138194&utm_campaign=GreenLight&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=greenlight_email

I guess at this point what do we have to loose. 

[Clipper]

Technology never ceases to amaze me. Who would ever think that carbonated water could be turned into stone? Those scotch and soda drinkers better be careful. They may create a limestone deposit in their kidney.

[Atticus Pizzaballa]

It would make sense to build these machines around area's that produce the highest carbon emissions and I read that would be are large farms.

[Clipper]

I guess we can expect to see cow loafing barns with exhaust fan and duct systems that funnel cow farts to filters and a system such as that thing.

Geez. Leave the poor cows alone. I love my milk and NOBODY needs to hinder my ability to obtain a good steak.

[Atticus Pizzaballa]

Someone would have to pay big bucks for the animal psychiatrists needs for each farm territory to help relive the stress on the poor cows.