About
Swiss company Climeworks, has launched Mammoth - the world's largest direct air capture (DAC) facility, located 30 km southwest of Reykjavik, Iceland. This advanced facility, resembling a futuristic installation, uses sophisticated technology to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and store it underground. Designed to combat global warming, the facility aims to capture 36,000 tonnes of CO2 annually—equivalent to removing 8,000 petrol cars from the roads.
Mammoth operates using 12 powerful collector containers, each equipped with fans capable of filtering enough air every 40 seconds to fill an Olympic swimming pool. This air is then slowed down, allowing filters to capture CO2. This captured CO2 is mixed with fresh water and injected into Iceland's basalt-rich bedrock. This process quickly mineralizes the CO2 into solid carbonate minerals, thanks to the basalt's porosity, within about two years—a remarkably fast timeline compared to natural geological processes.
The plant's operations are powered by a nearby geothermal power station, ensuring an emissions-free process. Despite its innovative approach, DAC technology faces criticism due to its high cost and energy consumption. Currently, capturing and storing one tonne of CO2 costs nearly $1,000. However, Climeworks aims to reduce this cost to between $300 and $400 per tonne by the decade's end through technological advancements and increased scale.
Critics argue that it might be more efficient to capture CO2 directly from emission sources, such as industrial smokestacks, rather than from the atmosphere. Nonetheless, Climeworks plans to expand its carbon capture capacity with the US-based Project Cypress, expected to start in 2026 and remove up to a million tonnes of CO2 annually using more efficient technology.
If you're interested in green careers, check out our Green Futures pages.
About icanbea...
This site offers you an insight into Norfolk & Suffolk's most successful organisations, how they fit into our growing economy & the career & training opportunities on offer. Plus tools & resources for students, parents, careers leads & teachers that support ca...
