Named "Mammoth," this plant significantly boosts global capacity for direct air capture.
Iceland has become home to the world's largest facility for extracting carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere, marking a significant milestone in the fight against climate change.
Operated by Swiss firm Climeworks, the newly operational plant, named "Mammoth," has quadrupled the global capacity for direct air capture (DAC).
While existing DAC projects worldwide only manage to collectively capture around 10,000 metric tonnes of carbon annually, Mammoth is set to extract up to 36,000 metric tonnes per year once fully operational in 2024.
Utilising direct air capture technology, Mammoth functions as a giant vacuum, drawing in air and stripping out carbon using chemical processes. This marks Climeworks' second commercial DAC plant in Iceland, dwarfing its predecessor, Orca, by tenfold.
Following extraction, the captured carbon will be transported underground, where it will undergo a sequestration process with the Icelandic company Carbfix. This process involves converting the carbon into stone, effectively locking it away from the atmosphere permanently.
Crucially, the entire operation will be powered by Iceland's abundant and clean geothermal energy, further emphasising the plant's commitment to sustainability.
Speaking to CNN, Lili Fuhr, director of the fossil economy programme at the Centre for International Environmental Law, expressed concerns about carbon capture technology, stating that it "is fraught with uncertainties and ecological risks."
The inauguration of Mammoth represents a significant step forward in the global effort to combat climate change by actively removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, offering hope for a more sustainable future.