air purification/Oli Haukur Myrdal/Climeworks
In Iceland, the world's largest plant for sucking carbon from the atmosphere has started work. It works like a giant vacuum.
Swiss company Climeworks has launched a second commercial direct air capture plant, 10 times larger than its predecessor, Orca, which will begin operations in 2021. This is written by CNN publication.
The enterprise uses technology direct air capture (DAC): the device sucks in air, removes carbon from it, after which the carbon is either pumped deep underground or processed into solid products.< /p>
Climeworks plans to transport the carbon underground, where it must naturally turn into rock. In this process, Climeworks cooperates with the Icelandic company Carbfix.
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The uniqueness of this project is that the entire operation is powered by Iceland's pure geothermal energy. That is, the process of collecting carbon and its subsequent conversion into a safe stone takes place without emissions from the technologies themselves, which contributes to the reduction of carbon emissions in the process.
Carbon removal technologies such as direct air capture (DAC) remain the subject of controversy and criticism due to some significant issues. Critics call them expensive, energy-intensive and not sufficiently proven at scale.
Some climate advocates also express outrage that the emphasis on such technologies could distract from the need to reduce fossil fuel consumption.
Plant from air cleaning/Oli Haukur Myrdal/Climeworks
More about the Mammoth plant:
Climeworks began construction on Mammoth in June 2022, and the plant is currently the largest of its type in the world. It has a modular design with space for 72 collection containers that capture carbon from the air. There are already 12 such containers in operation, and more are planned to be added in the coming months.
According to Climeworks, Mammoth will be able to extract 36,000 tons of carbon per year from the atmosphere. at full power. This is equivalent to taking about 7,800 gas-powered cars off the road for a year.
This project is an important step in reducing the carbon footprint of the climate and demonstrates the potential of carbon removal technologies at scale. necessary to combat climate change.
Air purification plant/Oli Haukur Myrdal/Climeworks