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World's 'largest' vacuum designed to suck pollution out of air is now open

The vacuum is projected to remove 36,000 tons of carbon annually, equivalent to eliminating emissions from approximately 7,800 gas-powered cars for a year

Mammoth

Climeworks' Mammoth plant in Iceland (Photo: Climeworks)

Nandini Singh New Delhi

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The world's largest plant, designed to suck planet-heating pollution from the atmosphere, commenced operations in Iceland on Wednesday, reported CNN.

Dubbed "Mammoth," this facility marks the second commercial direct air capture (DAC) plant established by Swiss company Climeworks in Iceland. According to the report, Mammoth dwarfs its predecessor, Orca, by tenfold, with the latter having commenced operations in 2021.

Direct air capture technology involves the extraction of air and the removal of carbon through chemical processes. The extracted carbon can then be injected deep underground, repurposed, or converted into solid materials.

Climeworks plans to transport the captured carbon underground, where, in collaboration with Icelandic company Carbfix, it will naturally transform into stone, effectively permanently locking up the carbon.
 

Iceland's abundant and clean geothermal energy resources will power the entire operation.

Need for extracting carbon from the atmosphere


In recent times, there has been a growing focus on next-generation climate solutions like Direct Air Capture (DAC), driven by the ongoing combustion of fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide levels, a significant contributor to global warming, reached unprecedented heights in the Earth's atmosphere in 2023.

With escalating temperatures causing detrimental impacts on both humans and nature, many scientists argue that alongside urgently reducing fossil fuel usage, there is a pressing need to devise methods for extracting carbon from the atmosphere.

However, technologies designed for carbon removal, such as DAC, remain contentious. They face criticism for being costly, requiring significant energy inputs, and lacking proven scalability. Additionally, some climate advocates express concern that the focus on carbon removal may divert attention and resources away from initiatives to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

 

All you need to know about 'Mammoth'


Construction of Mammoth began in June 2022 by Climeworks, establishing its status as the world's largest facility of its kind. Featuring a modular design, Mammoth accommodates 72 "collector containers," comprising the vacuum components responsible for extracting carbon from the atmosphere. These containers can be conveniently stacked and repositioned. Currently, 12 containers are operational, with additional units slated for installation in the coming months.

At full operational capacity, Mammoth is projected to remove 36,000 tons of carbon annually, equivalent to eliminating emissions from approximately 7,800 gas-powered cars for a year.

Although Climeworks did not specify the precise cost per ton of carbon extracted, it indicated a figure closer to $1,000 rather than $100 per ton – a threshold widely acknowledged as crucial for the technology's affordability and feasibility.

According to Jan Wurzbacher, co-founder and co-CEO of Climeworks, the company aims to reduce costs to $300 to $350 per ton by 2030, eventually reaching $100 per ton by around 2050, as it expands plant sizes and optimises processes.

Stuart Haszeldine, a professor specialising in carbon capture and storage at the University of Edinburgh, praised the significance of the new plant in combating climate change. He also noted its contribution to expanding carbon capture infrastructure. However, Haszeldine cautioned that Mammoth's capacity remains a tiny fraction of the scale required to address the global carbon challenge.

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First Published: May 09 2024 | 5:33 PM IST

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