Atmospheric Carbon Capture Direct Air Capture Plant CarbonVault Phase II Begins Operations in Iceland: Capturing 100,000 Tons of CO2 Annually with Permanent Mineralization

Atmospheric Carbon Capture Direct Air Capture Plant CarbonVault Phase II Begins Operations in Iceland

On October 7, 2030, Swiss carbon capture company Climeworks announced that its CarbonVault Iceland Phase II direct air capture (DAC) plant has officially begun operations. The Phase II plant has an annual capture capacity of 100,000 tons of CO2, 25 times that of Phase I (4,000 tons).

CarbonVault's workflow is divided into three steps: first, large fans draw air through filters containing amine-based sorbents, selectively capturing CO2; second, the filters are heated to release concentrated CO2 gas; finally, the concentrated CO2 is mixed with water and injected into underground basalt formations, where it undergoes mineralization reactions within approximately two years, transforming intoite rock for permanent sequestration.

Climeworks CEO Christoph Gebald said: "CarbonVault's sequestration method differs from traditional geological storage — CO2 is not 'pressed into' underground cavities but chemically reacts with rock to become stone. This means it can never leak."

The Phase II plant's carbon capture cost is approximately $400 per ton, far exceeding carbon trading market prices (about 80 euros per ton). However, Gebald believes that as technology matures and scale expands, costs will drop below $100 per ton by 2035. Microsoft, Stripe, and Shopify have signed long-term carbon removal purchase agreements with Climeworks.