On May 8, the world’s largest factory designed to suck carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the atmosphere like a giant vacuum machine began operating in Iceland. Mammoth is the second direct CO2 capture commercial plant opened by Swiss company Climeworks in Iceland, which is 10 times larger than its predecessor, the Orca plant that began operations in 2021. Direct CO2 Capture (DAC) is a technology that captures air and chemically filters carbon to be buried deep underground, reused, or transformed into solid products. Climeworks plans to transport the captured carbon underground to be transformed into rock during natural processes, working with Icelandic company Carbfix for this process. The operation uses Iceland’s clean and abundant geothermal energy.
Next-generation climate solutions like DAC are attracting more attention from governments and private companies as the world continues to burn fossil fuels. Atmospheric CO2 concentrations reached a record high in 2023, prompting the need for solutions to eliminate CO2 from the atmosphere while reducing the use of fossil fuels. However, CO2 removal technologies like DAC are controversial due to their cost, energy requirements, and uncertainty about their effectiveness on a large scale. Some worry that focusing on these technologies could distract policymakers from cutting fossil fuel use, posing ecological risks.
The Mammoth plant, constructed by Climeworks in June 2022, is the world’s largest direct CO2 capture commercial plant. It features a modular design with space for 72 “collection chambers” that capture CO2 from the air. Currently, 12 chambers have been installed, with plans to add more in the coming months. Mammoth is expected to absorb 36,000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere annually when running at full capacity, equivalent to taking 7,800 gas-powered vehicles off the road each year. Climeworks aims to reduce the cost of removing a ton of CO2 to $300-$350 by 2030 and $100 by 2050, although the exact current cost remains undisclosed.
Stuart Haszeldine, a professor of CO2 capture and storage, views the new plant as an important step in the fight against climate change, although it falls short of meeting global demand. All existing CO2 removal devices can only remove about 0.01 million tons annually, far below the 70 million tons needed by 2030 to achieve global climate goals. Climeworks plans to scale up CO2 capture to one million tons per year by 2030 and one billion tons by 2050, including potential DAC plants in Kenya and America. The Mammoth plant represents progress in combating climate change, with continued efforts required to meet global CO2 reduction targets.