Carbon Engineering gets to work on pilot carbon capture plant in Squamish

January 19, 2015

For Immediate Release

SQUAMISH, BC - A company that is a world leader in the creation of technology that captures carbon dioxide from the air is moving ahead with the installation of its first-ever pilot plant in Squamish, beginning this month. Carbon Engineering is one of a handful of companies globally working on direct air capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a finalist in the $25 million Virgin Earth Challenge.

Carbon Engineering is utilizing the ‘Blue Barn’ on the Squamish Oceanfront lands to construct its first ever test site for the groundbreaking technology. Work, including installation of a new Fortis BC natural gas connection to the building, gets underway this month.

“Our goal is to develop and market a system that can scrub CO2 from the air,” says Geoff Holmes, Carbon Engineering’s business development manager. “Ultimately, the project will serve to help manufacture fuels that have lower carbon intensity than conventional oil, and even lower than biofuels.”

The Squamish project is an “end-to-end” demonstration of the technology. Previously, several pieces of equipment have been prototyped and tested, and this is the first time the pieces will all work together in an end-to-end demonstration.

“The project will involve running our equipment for between six and 12 months, absorb CO2 out of the air, and obtain performance data,” continues Holmes.

 

Based in Calgary, AB, and founded in 2009, Carbon Engineering is an innovator in the Direct Air Capture method of carbon dioxide extraction, which is designed to remove and reduce carbon dioxide from the Earth’s atmosphere. Founded by Harvard University professor David Keith and funded by Microsoft Founder Bill Gates, Carbon Engineering is the only Canadian finalist in the $25 million Virgin Earth Challenge. The prize, offered by Richard Branson and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, will go to the firm that can remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere in the most environmentally sustainable and economically viable way. The Squamish pilot plant is the next step towards demonstrating the commercial viability of the technology.

 

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Media contact: Geoff Holmes, Business Development Manager, Carbon Engineering, gholmes@carbonengineering.com

January 19, 2015

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