In Switzerland, will launch the world's first plant for the extraction of CO₂ from the atmosphere

Climatologists are tired of warning about the threat of the greenhouse effect due to the increase in the amount of CO ₂ , H ₂ O, CH ₄ and other greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.

But for merchants from the Swiss company Climeworks from this joy. In September or October 2016, they intend to launch the world's first commercial plant for the production of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Chemists hope that on a production scale, the cost price of CO ₂ will not exceed $ 600 per ton.

Recently, scientists have noticed that because of the greenhouse effect on Earth has become more vegetation .
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This is understandable, because carbon dioxide stimulates photosynthesis. For the same reason, it can be used as a fertilizer. Experiments have shown that the use of CO ₂ stimulates plant growth, including increasing the yield of lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes. Thus, the Climeworks plant can sell fertilizer to nearby farms.

Swiss chemists use the same direct air capture (DAC) technology for extracting CO ₂ from the atmosphere, which is used on the International Space Station and on submarines.



The air passes through a filter impregnated with amines - organic compounds derived from ammonia. They bind carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and then CO _{2 is} removed from the filter by simple heating from a free source of heat.

At present, CO _{2 is} produced at industrial facilities and power plants: in their smoke, the concentration of CO ₂ is hundreds of times higher than in the atmosphere, and the cost of production is lower. However, the new method has the main advantage. The atmosphere is everywhere, so that the plant can be put in almost any place where it is convenient. For example, in Switzerland, they are going to deliver it near a municipal waste incineration plant in order to receive the free heat needed in the process. Nearby are the buyers of the product - farms that need fertilizer. Thus, businessmen do not pay for heat or for transportation.

According to experts of the American Physical Society, on an industrial scale carbon dioxide can be produced at a price of $ 600 per ton . The Swiss hope to achieve this cost and even reduce it.

Climeworks will receive a grant from the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (Swiss Federal Office of Energy) to carry out work to optimize the design of the plant and reduce the cost of production. The pilot project is designed for three years.

In addition to fertilizer for agriculture, CO ₂ is suitable for the production of liquid fuels.

The Swiss plant will extract from the atmosphere 2-3 tons of CO ₂ per day. For comparison, humanity annually emit 40 billion tons of greenhouse gases. It turns out that one such plant eliminates the negative impact on the nature of 133-200 people.