Swiss start-up Climeworks has once again proven itself as a pioneer in carbon capture technology. The company recently opened Mammoth, the world's largest direct carbon capture plant, located in Iceland. With its impressive 72 industrial fans, Mammoth has the capacity to remove approximately 36,000 tons of CO2 from the air on an annual basis, exceeding Climeworks' previous record-holding plant, Orca.

Unlike other methods of carbon capture, the CO2 extracted by Mammoth is not recycled but instead stored underground. Nestled in the vicinity of a dormant volcano, the facility's chosen location near the Hellisheidi geothermal energy plant ensures it can efficiently power the industrial fans and heat chemical filters required for CO2 extraction. Following the extraction process, the CO2 is separated from the steam, compressed, dissolved in water, and ultimately injected 2,300 feet underground into volcanic basalt. Here, the carbon dioxide reacts with the rock's magnesium, calcium, and iron, forming crystals that permanently trap the CO2.

While the unveiling of Mammoth is a significant achievement, it is clear that the plant alone cannot solve the global challenge of climate change. Climeworks' founder, Jan Wurzbacher, acknowledges this limitation, highlighting the need for a much larger scale of carbon removal efforts. To achieve "carbon neutrality" by 2050, experts suggest removing between six and 16 billion tons of CO2 from the atmosphere annually.

When comparing these estimations to the capturing capacity of Mammoth, the plant captures just 0.0006 percent of the minimum annual removal threshold mentioned by Wurzbacher. It is evident that more robust action is required to make a substantial impact on climate change.

Looking ahead, Climeworks is committed to scaling up its carbon capture efforts. Wurzbacher expressed his ambition for the company to capture millions of tons per year by 2030 and a billion tons by 2050. However, realizing these goals will require collective action from other companies and support from policymakers. Carlos Haertel, the company's chief technology officer, emphasized the necessity of political will to drive the adoption and expansion of carbon capture technology globally.

Climeworks' Mammoth plant stands as a testament to the advancements in carbon capture technology, but the journey towards a sustainable future demands more comprehensive efforts from various entities. The urgency of the climate crisis necessitates a collaborative approach to significantly reduce CO2 emissions and accelerate the development of carbon capture solutions.