Swiss startup shows potential of CO2 capture

Founded in 2009, the Swiss startup is currently presenting its CO₂ Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology at the COP22 Climate Change Conference in Marrakech, Morocco. It is one of 20 cleantech companies exhibiting ideas at a three-day “Low-Emissions Solution Conference” taking part during COP22.

Climeworks’ DAC technology is based on a cyclic capture-regeneration process that uses a novel filter. Atmospheric CO₂ is chemically bound to the surface of the filter during the capture stage. Once saturated, the filter is then heated to around 100°C, releasing high-purity gaseous CO₂. According to Climeworks, the filter can be re-used for thousands of cycles.

The company has been operating a demonstrator unit since late 2014. Known simply as ‘CO₂ Collector’, the device has a limited capacity of just 50 tons of CO₂ per year. However, Climeworks is also now building the world’s first commercial DAC plant - expected to open in spring 2017 in Hinwil, Switzerland - with capacity to capture 900 tons of CO₂ annually. By scaling the technology, the company hopes to capture one per cent of annual global CO₂ emissions by 2025.