Climeworks Launches Mammoth: The World's Largest Direct Air Capture Plant in Iceland

In a groundbreaking move for climate technology, Climeworks has launched its second direct air capture and storage (DAC+S) facility, named Mammoth, in Hellisheiði, Iceland.

This facility, the largest of its kind, can capture up to 36,000 tons of CO₂ from the atmosphere annually.

Mammoth is nearly ten times the size of Climeworks' first Icelandic plant, Orca, and represents a significant leap in the company’s journey toward reaching megaton carbon removal capacity by 2030.

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Mammoth's Design and Purpose

Mammoth, now operational, aims to tackle the ongoing challenge of CO₂ emissions by filtering CO₂ directly from the air and storing it permanently underground.

This plant was designed with a modular structure, allowing Climeworks to efficiently scale operations. Currently, twelve of the plant’s total 72 collector containers are installed and actively capturing CO₂.

The full installation is expected to be completed throughout 2024.

Using renewable energy sources, Climeworks powers the direct air capture process, which requires only low-temperature heat, equivalent to boiling water.

This energy is provided by ON Power, Climeworks' geothermal energy partner based in Iceland. "Mammoth is designed to capture the vast amounts of CO₂ needed to fight global warming," Climeworks representatives said.

The Carbon Storage Process with Carbfix

Once the CO₂ is captured, Climeworks collaborates with Carbfix, a storage partner that manages the transport and permanent storage of CO₂.

Carbfix injects the CO₂ deep underground, where it undergoes a natural mineralization process by reacting with basaltic rock. This process turns the CO₂ into stone, ensuring it is permanently stored.

"With this innovative approach, Climeworks and Carbfix are setting a new standard for sustainable carbon capture and storage," stated company representatives.

The entire capture and storage procedure undergoes rigorous verification by independent third parties, ensuring transparency and credibility in Climeworks' environmental impact claims.

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Climeworks’ Expansion into the United States

While Mammoth represents a significant achievement for Climeworks in Iceland, the company has bigger ambitions for its DAC+S technology.

Beyond Iceland, Climeworks is actively working on developing multiple megaton carbon capture hubs in the United States.

These hubs are designed to meet the growing demand for carbon removal in North America and expand Climeworks' role in reducing global emissions.

The expansion of DAC+S technology into the U.S. market will build on the operational and testing experience gained from the Mammoth and Orca plants in Iceland.

By leveraging this experience, Climeworks plans to deploy DAC+S systems on a much larger scale, eventually reaching gigaton levels by 2050.

This progression is essential in meeting the targets set by the Paris Agreement to limit global warming.

Why Mammoth Matters in the Fight Against Climate Change

Mammoth's launch is a vital step in the global response to climate change. Traditional carbon capture efforts have often faced scalability issues, making them less viable as comprehensive solutions.

Climeworks addresses these challenges by designing its plants to operate with modular, scalable components, as seen with Mammoth.

Climeworks envisions that with the addition of plants like Mammoth, DAC+S technology can achieve the scale necessary to make a substantial impact on CO₂ levels in the atmosphere.

By 2030, the company aims to reach a megaton scale, which would mark a massive contribution toward climate goals.

Collaboration with ON Power and the Role of Renewable Energy

An important aspect of Mammoth’s sustainability is its reliance on renewable geothermal energy.

ON Power, an Icelandic geothermal energy provider, supplies the low-temperature heat needed to power the air capture process.

This partnership is crucial in ensuring that the carbon capture process itself does not contribute to further emissions.

The use of renewable energy to power Mammoth underscores Climeworks' commitment to minimizing its environmental footprint while advancing carbon capture technology.

This collaboration between Climeworks and ON Power highlights the potential of combining renewable energy with carbon capture to create an effective, sustainable solution for large-scale CO₂ removal.

Future Goals and Global Impact

Looking forward, Climeworks has set ambitious targets for its DAC+S technology, aiming for gigaton-scale carbon removal by 2050.

Mammoth is a major milestone in this roadmap, demonstrating that DAC+S plants can be constructed on a large scale and operational in diverse settings.

By bringing Mammoth online, Climeworks has taken a concrete step toward making gigaton-scale carbon removal a reality.

The company's approach, involving modular design and collaboration with renewable energy providers, sets a scalable framework that can be adapted to other regions.

Climeworks is also exploring the deployment of similar plants across North America and Europe, aligning with the global need to remove billions of tons of CO₂ from the atmosphere.

Commitment to Transparency and Certification

A key element in Climeworks' strategy is transparency.

The company ensures that all its DAC+S operations, including Mammoth, undergo thorough third-party verification.

Independent audits verify the efficiency, environmental impact, and safety of the DAC+S process, ensuring that customers and stakeholders can trust in the plant’s carbon removal claims.

These certifications add credibility to Climeworks' work, reinforcing its status as a leader in the DAC+S industry.

By setting high standards for transparency and reliability, Climeworks provides its customers with the assurance that their carbon offset contributions are genuinely effective in reducing atmospheric CO₂ levels.

The Road Ahead for Climeworks and Mammoth

As Mammoth continues its operation and expansion throughout 2024, Climeworks will likely gather valuable data on large-scale carbon capture and storage.

This data will inform the development of future DAC+S plants and help Climeworks refine its technology for even greater efficiency.

With this step, Climeworks has positioned itself as a pioneer in the carbon capture industry, demonstrating that DAC+S technology can play a pivotal role in mitigating climate change.

Mammoth, backed by Climeworks, ON Power, and Carbfix, has the potential to change the carbon capture landscape, showing that direct air capture and storage can be scaled up to meet the demands of our warming planet.

The plant’s operations are a testament to the innovation and collaboration needed to combat global emissions effectively.

Mammoth’s launch marks a major milestone in the battle against climate change.

By combining direct air capture with renewable energy and mineral storage, Climeworks is taking an innovative approach that could set the standard for sustainable carbon removal on a global scale.