NEWS – Mammoth, the largest carbon dioxide capture and storage facility globally, recently commenced operations on a dormant volcano in Iceland. Swiss start-up Climeworks is behind this groundbreaking initiative.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Operational Details
  • Mammoth employs 72 industrial fans to extract 36,000 tonnes of CO2 annually from the atmosphere.
  • The captured CO2 is buried underground, contributing significantly to carbon sequestration efforts.
• Location and Rationale
  • Situated near a dormant volcano, Mammoth benefits from the Hellisheidi geothermal energy plant’s proximity.
  • The geothermal plant powers Mammoth’s fans and supports the chemical filtering process to extract CO2.
• Carbon Capture Process
  • CO2 is separated from steam and compressed in a facility equipped with large pipes.
  • The gas is then dissolved in water and injected underground, utilizing a unique mineralization process involving volcanic basalt.
• Impact and Goals
  • Mammoth’s launch marks a milestone in combating global warming, aiming to eliminate millions of tonnes of CO2 by 2030.
  • Climeworks envisions scaling up its capacity significantly in the coming years to contribute significantly to global carbon neutrality targets.
• Challenges and Future Prospects
  • Despite technological advancements, carbon capture and storage (CCS) face challenges such as high costs and dependence on renewable energy availability.
  • Climeworks and other industry players are actively exploring innovations like seawater injection for CO2 mineralization, indicating ongoing advancements in CCS technology.
• Financial Considerations
  • The development and deployment of CCS infrastructure require substantial investment, with estimates suggesting a need for around $10 billion over the next decade.
  • Carbon credits play a role in financing these initiatives, with potential avenues for revenue generation through credit sales to offset emissions.
• Criticism and Mitigation
  • Critics raise concerns about CCS potentially enabling continued pollution or diverting funds from renewable energy solutions.
  • Climeworks emphasizes targeting “incompressible” emissions post-reduction and seeks to balance technological advancements with environmental and financial sustainability.