‘Mammoth’, the world’s largest carbon capture and storage plant, has been launched by a Swiss company, Climeworks, in Iceland. The plant, which runs on renewable energy, aims to remove 36,000 metric tonnes of carbon from the air every year, which is equivalent to taking at least 8,600 cars off the roads. The new plant is nine times bigger than the company’s first plant Orca.
Mammoth captures carbon dioxide from the air and moves it to a facility where it is mixed with water and pumped deep underground. The carbonated water reacts with the natural porous basalt rocks over time, turning into solid carbonate minerals that solidify underground within the upper mantle. The rocks remain there for thousands of years, implying that carbon is removed from the atmosphere.
Of the total targeted 72 collector containers, 12 have already been installed and the Mammoth plant will reach its full capacity by the end of the year.
Additionally, Climeworks is working on its third-generation direct air capture technology, which will have an even larger capacity and will be constructed in the US.
