According to environmental scientists, if not reduced carbon dioxide emissions, in the next decade may occur irreversible climate change.
Swiss start-up Climeworks was able to convert the geothermal power plant in Iceland, so that in addition to its primary function – providing power, it picks up CO2 from the air, and then turns it into solid rock. In this state, he may be millions of years.
Today it is not enough to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. To avoid the devastating effects of climate change will reduce global average temperature by about 2 °C. it will have to capture CO2 and turn it into a solid state and stored somewhere under the ground. This process is called “technology of capture and storage of carbon”, which for many years promoting the company Climeworks.
Using a special filter made from porous pellets, CO2 combines with moisture from the air retains particles of a substance. After that, the heat from the geothermal power plant releases pure carbon dioxide, which is pumped under ground at 700-meter depth. There it reacts with basaltic rocks and turned to stone.
While the performance of Climeworks allows you to capture 50 tonnes of CO2 per year. However, by 2025, the startup intends to reach higher levels — up to 1 % of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions.
Source — Quartz