The first air CO2 capture installation in Poland will be built

The technology being installed in Kielce will trap the greenhouse gas in patented sorbent filters. The captured CO2 will be stored in old mine shafts and adits.

Adapting cities to environmental and climate change

"We see great educational potential in this project. The connection between efficient energy use and reducing our environmental impact, including through reducing greenhouse gas emissions, is significant. By demonstrating the effectiveness of new technology, we can teach about cities' adaptation to environmental and climate change and what we can all do on our own to ensure Kielce remains a green and friendly city," says Agata Wojda, Mayor of Kielce.

" Oraquel is the only company in this part of Europe with operational technology for capturing CO2 from the air. Our technology is more stable, and the captured carbon dioxide is easier to transport and store. The gas will be bound in our patented filters, which can be replaced as needed. The installation is powered by photovoltaic panels, making it completely emission-free . It also has a monitoring system," explains Wojciech Mudyna, CEO of Oraquel.

The project assumes one year of operation of the device operating on the basis of the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the establishment of an EU framework for the certification of sustainable carbon dioxide removal, carbon-intensive techniques and carbon dioxide storage in products.

The installation will be located near the Kielce CHP Plant, the largest source of CO2 emissions in the city. It is expected to absorb approximately 500 tons of gas.

The costs of construction and operation of the installation are estimated at approximately PLN 1.4 million.

The city is participating in a pilot program for CO2 capture, allowing the installation of the device on its premises – near the Energy Science Center. The partner will cover the construction and operating costs of the installation, estimated at approximately PLN 1.4 million.

As part of the pilot project, several installations of this type are planned in Poland – in provincial capitals and in industrial plants.

The installation to be built in Kielce will be able to eliminate emissions from approximately 70 small single-family houses that use small boilers for heating within a year.

Approximately 100 hectares of mixed forest or over 130 hectares of well-kept lawns can remove the same amount of CO2 from the atmosphere in a year.

Technologies for capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, known as DAC (Direct Air Capture), have been tested for two years in Iceland and China, and since August this year in Norway. The installations operating there inject carbon dioxide captured from the air at high pressure into underground boreholes.