Iceland switches on world's largest CO2 filter named 'Orca' with 4,000 metric ton capacity

Iceland has switched on the world's largest carbon dioxide sucking machine that will try its hands on curbing the ever-increasing CO2 levels in the atmosphere. Reports from the WSBuzz revealed that the ‘direct air capture’ (DAC) machine was launched at the Hellisheidi Power Station on September 9. Reportedly, the massive air purifier named 'Orca' has been created by Zurich-based company Climeworks at a cost of over ₹110 crores ($15 million). 

Is it worth the money?

Billed as a tool to reduce climate change, Orca is claimed to have a capacity to suck 4,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per year that is equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions from about 790 cars. However, this capacity seems negligible to global CO2 emissions, which totalled 34.7 billion tons as per the data given by International Energy Agency. Besides, Orca runs completely on renewable energy from the adjacent geothermal power plant.

How does it work?

The filtering process by Orca involves sucking in CO2 from surrounding ambient air using fans through a stack of metal ‘air scrubbers’, which then extracts it using a chemical filter. In simple terms, fans draw air where the chemical filter materials collect CO2, while letting the air out through the other side. 

This process reduces the amount of greenhouse gas that reaches the atmosphere as the CO2 is then stored underground after extraction. Following this, the gas can be used to make fuels, chemicals, building materials and other products, or stored permanently in deep geological formations. 

Calling the installation a milestone, co-CEO and co-founder of Climeworks, Jan Wurzbacher, said that it has provided a scalable, flexible and replicable blueprint for Climeworks’ future expansion. Reportedly, the technology has been previously used in Iceland but Orca is the biggest DAC device yet. Orca is formed of eight large powerful and compact container-size collector units stacked in twos, each one of which is over 20 feet long.

Such innovations have become essential as new studies every now and then reveal the impact of climate change on both animals and plants. One such study published in Trends in Ecology and Environment, suggested that warm-blooded animals including birds are "shape-shifting" in order to cope with climate change. Besides, another report published in Science Daily claimed that higher CO2 levels might lead to 'insect apocalypse' in the future. 

(IMAGE: @ORGRIMSSON-TWITTER)