Climeworks: Carbon Capture & Innovation

When passion, innovation and technology come together the results can be powerful. Climeworks, founded by university pals Dr. Christoph Gebald and Dr. Jan Wurzbacher, is an ambitious yet wholly operable business that captures existing carbon dioxide directly from the air.

Meeting on the first day of uni in Zurich, students Jan and Christoph became firm friends, their ideals aligning in alpine sports alongside their enthusiasm for mechanical engineering. Both enjoyed time in the mountains together and it was here that their love for the Alps was brought into stark contrast with the retreating of the glaciers. With their pristine alpine playground under threat and climate change witnessed first-hand, the duo decided to put their engineering skills to use to find a solution to the earth’s warming atmosphere, due to trapped carbon.

Introducing Climeworks, an idea so inherently simple yet rooted, quite literally, in scientific basis, technological advances and dedication to the challenge of climate change; with its aim to directly capture and remove CO₂ from the air. If you’re wondering how it works, let us describe in their words, “we capture CO₂ directly from the air, reducing the atmospheric concentration of CO₂ by only using renewable energy, energy-from-waste, or other waste heat as energy sources.” Founded in 2009, Climeworks is now the leader in direct air capture (DAC) technology. 

Using a three-step process, air is sucked into a specially constructed fan, in which a filter sits, ready to collect the carbon dioxide particles. Once it has done so, the fan (located in a box) is sealed and heated to 100 degrees which releases the particles. It is then drawn deep underground where they can remain safely for thousands of years. This last part is done in collaboration with Carbfix, an Icelandic company who have designed a way to turn captured carbon into stone using a natural process of mineralisation.

Climeworks also provide carbon solutions for small and large businesses, individuals and enterprises wishing to lower carbon emissions and aim for net zero. Fellow Aficionados’ friends at hotel Nostos have seen the light with this innovative new technology and are supporting Climeworks and the sustainability of rugged Cycladic isle Serifos with the use of Climeworks to contribute to the permanent removal of carbon from the atmosphere. Check out first hand Nostos on Serifos this summer, the first sustainably boutique hotel on the island. 

The great thing Climeworks and their modular carbon collectors is that they are imminently scalable. This is certainly a company to watch for the future – especially given its effectiveness - the carbon collector has a capacity of 500 tons per year, and to put that into layman’s speak is the same amount of carbon captured as 20,000 trees. Climeworks’ solution has the potential to safely capture and store underground all the CO₂ emitted since the Industrial Revolution. This modern feat of engineering is incredibly impressive and shows the compassion of Climeworks founders, putting the planet’s future in the foreground. Standing ovation to you, Climeworks.