The ‘world’s largest’ vacuum to suck climate pollution out of the air just opened. Here’s how it works

The “world’s largest vacuum” or the direct air capture (DAC) technology has recently been developed to help combat climate change by sucking carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the atmosphere. Orca, based in Iceland, is the largest plant of this type to date.

Here’s how it works:

1. Air Absorption: Ambient air is drawn into the plant with the help of fans, through a large wall of fans that pretty much act like a vacuum.

2. CO2 Bonding: Once drawn in, the air is exposed to chemicals that bind only with CO2. These are the filters. The filters absorb the CO2, effectively separating it from the other gases.

3. Heating Process: Once the filters are saturated with CO2, they are then heated. The heating process causes the CO2 to release itself from the filter.

4. Storage or Usage: The extracted CO2 is then either stored underground, effectively removing it from the atmosphere permanently. Or it could be purified and used for other purposes – for instance, in synthetic fuels or carbonated beverages.

The major advantage of this technology is its scalability and the ability to be placed anywhere. However, the costs and energy requirements are currently high – the technology is still in the relatively early stages and needs further development to become truly effective and widespread.