In Iceland, the first large-scale direct air capture unit was built – the ORCA by Climeworks. This storage plant was able to realize the goals of making direct air capture and storage. Annually, the ORCA removes about 4,400 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere – which equates to the total emissions of about 870 cars. The entire plant is about the size of two shipping containers, and it runs entirely on renewable energy sources. It is also known for its efficiency, which is a key aspect when considering solutions to climate change. Its net efficiency approximately exceeds 90% considering all phases of the project – resources, transportation, production, operation, and recycling & end of life. Therefore, it is helping the environment in an environmentally friendly way.
The ORCA utilizes the process of both desorption and adsorption, which are the two essential steps of direct air capture. One of the six chambers is always in the desorption phase while the other five are always in the adsorption phase. The singular desorption chamber captures the carbon dioxide, heats it up to about 100°, and releases it in a concentrated form. On the other hand, the adsorption chambers capture the carbon dioxide and release it as CO2-free air. Then, from the carbon dioxide that was extracted from the air, or concentrated CO2, it is mixed with water and pumped into the ground. Underground, the substance is trapped and will react with the basalt. Then, over time, that reaction will produce stone within a few years.
Therefore, the ORCA is a one-of-a-kind plant that can remove carbon dioxide from the air and store it permanently underground. Although this invention seems to only incur positive results, there is always a consequence that results from a possible solution to climate change. The problem with this project is the cost. Even though researchers and engineers have been able to halve the amount of steel used in their original plan, the entirety of the project is still costly to mass-produce elsewhere.
In addition, as to where this example lies in terms of carbon sequestration, it could be considered a mix of both geographical and technological carbon sequestration. The geographical implication comes from how the ORCA can store CO2 in geological landforms, where the harmful substance is then left to materialize into stone and rocks. On the other hand, this could be argued to be a technological carbon sequestration technique. The process requires the use of a man-made machine and it converts the carbon emissions into a resource. Although I would argue that the ORCA is more on the geographical side of sequestration, I can also see it from a technological standpoint.
While I am not fully in tune with the carbon processes and their exact transformations, the ORCA definitely seems to be a step in the right direction. While it is costly, we always, over time, find a solution if it has a great enough benefit. So hopefully in the future years we see things of a similar nature popping up everywhere. It seems like a small enough object that over time it could be widely used, that’s if we do not develop better technology of course. Very interesting and excited to read more.
I have always read articles and posts about how air pollution is becoming are more serious issue as time goes on. I genuinely fascinated read about this construction of the ORCA and how it will operate. With technology advancing and more innovations being produced, utilizing this positive thing to overcome the negatives within our natural environment is very smart and efficient in my opinion. But does operating the ORCA expensive? What do you think might happen if the originals investors or individuals funding this project at some point not able to continue giving their contribution?
It’s fascinating that these scientists came up with a way to both purify the air and store the waste products in a place that won’t have any downsides on the environment. Obviously the cost is an issue, but as technology improves, it will decrease. The cost I’m more concerned about, however, is the environmental cost of making this plant. True, it does purify a lot of air, but I want to know how long it will take for the plant to break even with how much CO2 and other toxins were emitted. Overall though, I am excited to see the applications of this technology.