Mammoth, world's largest carbon vacuum to suck pollution, commences operations
The Swiss firm Climeworks has launched its second commercial direct air capture (DAC) facility in Iceland, named "Mammoth." Touted as the world's largest facility for extracting climate pollutants from the atmosphere, Mammoth operates like a colossal vacuum cleaner. It is 10 times larger than its predecessor, Orca, which began operations in 2021. The DAC technology used by Mammoth extracts carbon from the air using chemicals. Here's more about it.
Mammoth's carbon capture and sequestration process explained
The captured carbon at the Mammoth facility can be stored deep underground, reused, or converted into solid products. Climeworks plans to transport the captured carbon underground where it will naturally turn into stone, effectively locking away the carbon permanently. The company has partnered with Icelandic firm Carbfix for this carbon sequestration process. This entire operation is powered by Iceland's abundant and clean geothermal energy.
Mammoth's modular design and future expansion plans
Mammoth, which began construction in June 2022, boasts a modular design with room for 72 "collector containers" that capture carbon from the air. These containers can be easily stacked and relocated. Currently, there are 12 of these containers in place at the facility with plans to add more in the coming months. Once fully operational, Mammoth will have the capacity to extract 36,000 tons of carbon from the atmosphere annually.
Climeworks's cost projections and global climate impact
While Climeworks has not disclosed the exact cost per ton of carbon removed, it indicated that the cost is closer to $1,000/ton (₹83,500/ton). Co-founder and co-CEO Jan Wurzbacher stated during a press call that they aim to reach $300 to $350/ton (₹25,048 to ₹29,223/ton) by 2030 before hitting $100/ton (₹8,349/ton) around 2050. This extraction capacity is equivalent to removing approximately 7,800 gas-powered cars from the roads for one year.
Mammoth's role in the global fight against climate change
Stuart Haszeldine, a professor at the University of Edinburgh specializing in carbon capture and storage, framed Mammoth as a significant advancement in combating climate change. However, he also warned that current carbon removal capabilities worldwide are only capable of removing around 0.01 million metric tons of carbon a year. This is far from the 70 million tons a year needed by 2030 to meet global climate goals.
