The machine uses large fans to suck in surrounding air, then filters it through a special material to which CO2 molecules stick while the rest of the air passes through. Once this “filter” is full of CO2, the machine shuts off and heats up, causing the molecules to disengage from the filter. They can then be collected in containers and sold or sent back into the earth.
In addition to the machine on top of their headquarters in Switzerland, Climeworks has also installed one in Iceland that has collected 50 tons of CO2 in the last year and a half. The company has also inked a deal with Coca-Cola for its captured CO2, as well as supplying the gas to a greenhouse in Switzerland.