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Carbfix achieves 99.6% CO2 capture efficiency at ON Power‘s Hellisheiði plant
Date posted:
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Post Author
Tracey Biller
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Reykjavik-based provider of CO2 mineralisation solutions for industrial emissions Carbfix has achieved a 99.6% CO2 capture efficiency at ON Power‘s Hellisheiði geothermal power plant in Iceland.
Founded in 2007 by the then Icelandic President, Dr Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson and academics from Columbia University, CNRS Toulouse, and the University of Iceland, Carbfix has developed an approach to permanent CO2 storage which dissolves the gas in water and then injects it into basaltic rocks. Once in the subsurface, the injected CO2 reacts with the host rock, forming stable carbonate minerals which effectively retain the CO2.
According to a press release issued by Carbfix, ON Power’s Hellisheiði plant has been a global pioneer in reducing emissions from geothermal energy production. The results achieved during the period from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026 using the Silverstone carbon capture plant at Hellisheiði, which plays a key role in that effort, “demonstrate the high efficiency of the capture technology and confirm its effectiveness in continuous operation.”
The Carbfix method is based on the same natural carbon cycle process that normally takes thousands of years. Through Silverstone, Carbfix technology immediately dissolves the carbon dioxide in water and then transforms it into new minerals within two years. In this way, the operation reduces the climate impact of geothermal power production while also contributing to the safe and cost-effective management of hydrogen sulphide.
Since the Carbfix method was first implemented at Hellisheiði, a total of more than 120,000 tonnes of CO₂ and more than 50,000 tonnes of H₂S have been permanently mineralised in rock.
Silverstone is jointly led by Carbfix and ON Power, and received a grant of nearly €3.9 million from the European Union Innovation Fund. Carbfix says this support has been important for the development and expansion of the technology and has contributed to greater knowledge of how Icelandic innovation and engineering expertise can be used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
