Mammoth is the world's largest carbon capture plant (Credit: Climeworks.com/ CC-BY-SQ-2.0)

Carbon dioxide (CO2), released by burning fossil fuels like oil and coal, is a large contributor to global warming. Switching to renewable energy sources like solar panels and wind turbines can help reduce the harmful emissions. However, phasing out fossil fuels entirely will take time. Meanwhile, companies like Climeworks are developing innovative solutions to reduce atmospheric CO2 levels. On May 8, 2024, the Switzerland-based startup turned on Mammoth, the world's largest direct air capture (DAC) plant.

Located in Iceland, Mammoth is similar to an in-home air purifier. It uses fans to pull air through specialized filters, trapping carbon molecules. These molecules are mixed with water and pumped deep underground. Here, they react with the volcanic rocks and eventually turn into stone. The DAC plant is powered by geothermal energy and produces no carbon emissions.

Mammoth is nine times bigger than Climeworks' Orca plant, which opened in 2021. It can absorb up to 39,000 tons of carbon from the air annually. This is the equivalent of removing over 7,000 cars from the road.

Critics say this alone is not enough to reduce overall emissions. They also argue that DAC plants are too expensive and distract from efforts to minimize the use of fossil fuels. But many environmentalists disagree. They believe efforts beyond reducing our reliance on fossil fuels are needed to decrease carbon emissions.

“It’s a drop in the bucket, but it’s a much bigger drop in the bucket than any we’ve seen so far,” said Klaus Lackner, director of the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions at Arizona State University.

Mammoth can extract 39,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the air annually (Credit: Climeworks.com)

Besides, Climeworks is just getting started. The company is currently in the final stages of planning an even bigger DAC plant in Louisiana, USA. This new plant is expected to capture a million tons of CO2 annually by 2030. That is nearly 30 times more than Mammoth!

Moreover, Climeworks is not alone in this endeavor. US-based Occidental is building its first commercial-scale DAC plant in Texas. It is expected to remove 500,000 tons of carbon annually when ready in 2025.

Resources: Washingtonpost.com, cinemaworks.com, eenews.net