Swiss cleantech company Climeworks announced a partnership October 12 with Iceland’s Reykjavik Energy to combine direct air capture (DAC) technology for the world’s first time with the purpose of permanent geological storage of carbon dioxide.
The EU-backed collaborative research project centers around one of the world’s largest geothermal power plants in Hellisheidi, Iceland, where CO2 is currently injected and mineralized at an industrial scale. A Climeworks DAC module has been installed on-site to capture CO2 from ambient air for permanent storage underground, thus creating a carbon removal solution.
Scientific studies have warned that the two-degree climate target is not achievable without carbon removal solutions.
A testing phase has started during which the CO2 is captured from ambient air, bound to water, and sent to more than 700 meters underground. There the CO2 reacts with the basaltic bedrock and forms solid minerals, creating a permanent storage solution.
Earlier, in May, Climeworks announced what it said is the world’s first ever commercial plant, in Hinwil, Switzerland, that captures atmospheric CO2 for supply and sale to a customer. The plant is now supplying 900 tonnes of CO2 annually to a nearby greenhouse to help grow vegetables.