This Swiss Facility Is Sucking CO2 Out Of The Air To Grow Vegetables

By Amanda Froelich Truth Theory

Because plants rely on carbon dioxide for photosynthesis, a commercial plant near Zurich, Switzerland, is sucking the greenhouse gases out of the air. It has yet to be determined whether or not carbon-sucking technology is a viable way to curb carbon emissions but at the very least, it should boost the plant’s vegetable production.  

TreeHugger reports that the facility is run by Climeworks, and is the first in the world to extract CO2 from the air then directly sell it to buyers. Companies that are purchasing CO2 manage greenhouses that are growing vegetables or use the CO2 to produce carbonated drinks and carbon-neutral fuels.

The plant will only be able to take in 900 tons of CO2 annually (about the equivalent emission from 200 cars), but it could be the first step to developing technology capable of removing even more emissions from the atmosphere. Said Climeworks founder, Christoph Gebald: “Highly scalable negative emission technologies are crucial if we are to stay below the 2-degree target [for global temperature rise] of the international community”

How does it work?

In the facility, 18 huge fans pull in ambient air. The air is then filtered and travels through a process of adsorption and desorption to extract the CO2. The cleaner air is blown out whereas the CO2 is captured and piped to a nearby greenhouse farm, where is helps grow tomatoes and cucumbers.

The fans sit on top of a municipal waste disposal company, where the incineration process produces an excess of heat. Because of this, the heat is recovered and recycled to heat up the saturated filters which release and capture the CO2 for additional uses, reports TreeHugger. The filters are reusable — up to thousands of times.

Gebald and Jan Wurzbacher are the founders of Climeworks. Both are engineers, and were inspired to build the CO2-sucking facility in 2008, when they were graduate students. After observing a greenhouse farm that ordered tanks of CO2 to be trucked in to boost agriculture production, the duo had the bright idea to suck the carbon dioxide directly from the air.

The company has a goal of capturing 1 percent of global carbon emissions by 2025. But to do this, they will need to build 250,000 similar plants, as the one located near Zurich. It’s a challenging feat, but not impossible. Facilities that capture carbon would be most effective when placed near fossil-fuel power plants. However, this option remains costly, compared to investing in solar and wind power.

Time will tell if Climeworks is successful. For now, it’s heartening to know technologies such as this exist and are being explored as viable solutions to prevent climate change from worsening.

Read more: Ikea Creates Flatpack Garden For Those With Limited Space To Grow Their Own Vegetables

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I am Luke Miller, content manager at Truth Theory and creator of Potential For Change. I like to blend psychology and spirituality to help you create more happiness in your life.Grab a copy of my free 33 Page Illustrated eBook- Psychology Meets Spirituality- Secrets To A Supercharged Life You Control Here