Turning Swiss CO2 into Icelandic rock

Efforts to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from dirty industries and store them deep underground are generating huge interest globally. Switzerland is also examining what to do about its hard-to-tackle CO2 emissions. A Swiss pilot project in Iceland shows great promise, say researchers. But is this costly and complicated method worth the effort? Imagine capturing CO2 from industry before it enters our atmosphere and turning it into stone – forever. Swiss scientists have been exploring this idea in a pilot project as part of ongoing carbon capture and storage (CCS) plans. These involve technologies that remove CO2 from industrial processes, such as sewage treatment or steelmaking plants, and store it deep underground to help meet the country’s goal to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The captured CO2 is not stored in Switzerland, but in Icelandic geological reservoirs. The team behind the pilot project recently announced that the approach is technically ...