Carbfix: Turning CO2 Into Stone
Carbfix dissolves carbon dioxide in water and injects it into basalt rock, where it turns into stone (company).
Image: NASA/James Blair (jsc2026e406058, volcanic landscape in Iceland).
Last reviewed: 2 sources cited
In Iceland, carbon dioxide is being turned into rock.
In a 2012 test, over 95% of the injected CO2 turned to stone in less than two years (Science, 2016).
Source: Matter et al., Science (2016)
Explain Like I'm 10
- A gas that people and animals breathe out and that burning fuel releases. Plants take it in, and too much of it in the air warms the planet. Glossary is a gas that warms the planet.
- Carbfix mixes it with water, like fizzy water, and pumps it deep into volcanic rock.
- There the gas reacts with the rock and becomes solid stone that stays put.
The Five W's of Carbfix
Who
Carbfix, a subsidiary of Reykjavík Energy (OR) that began operating as its own company on Jan. 1, 2020. It began as a project of Reykjavík Energy, the University of Iceland, CNRS and Columbia University's Earth Institute.
Source: Carbfix, Our story
What
CO2 is dissolved in water and injected underground, where it reacts with basalt and turns into carbonate minerals.
Source: Carbfix, Our story
When
Started in 2006 and formalized in 2007. Injection at industrial scale at Hellisheiði has run since 2014.
Source: Carbfix, Our story
Where
At the Hellisheiði geothermal power plant in Iceland, in basalt rock.
Source: Carbfix, Our story
Why
Rock storage keeps CO2 out of the atmosphere for good. The company's goal is to store 1 billion tonnes of CO2.
Source: Carbfix, Our story
Impact Statement
Company solution · active
In the 2012 pilot, 175 tonnes of CO2 were injected at about 500 m depth, and over 95% mineralized in less than two years (Science, 2016).
Source: Matter et al., Science (2016)
For Further Information: Matter et al., Science (2016)
Carbfix puts its on-site cost at about US $24.8 per tonne of CO2 (company figure).
How This Saves People & the Planet
For People
At Hellisheiði, CO2 and hydrogen sulphide are captured from a geothermal power plant's emissions and stored as rock (Carbfix).
Source: Carbfix, Our story
For Nature
Carbfix copies a natural process: CO2 and rock form stable carbonate minerals, a permanent and environmentally benign store (Carbfix).
Source: Carbfix, Our story
Learn More About Carbfix
Want to go deeper? Carbfix explains how CO2 turns to stone.
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