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 “Mammoth” direct air capture plant infographic
Graphic explains the “Mammoth” direct air capture and storage facility.
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ENVIRONMENT

“Mammoth” will suck up 36,000 tonnes of CO₂ a year

By Ninian Carter

June 30, 2022 - Construction has begun on the “Mammoth” plant in Iceland – a facility capable of removing 36,000 tonnes of CO₂ a year from the atmosphere.

Construction has begun on “Mammoth”, a new Direct Air Capture (DAC) plant in Iceland, that when completed will extract 36,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) a year from the atmosphere and bury it deep underground.

Switzerland’s Climeworks uses fans to draw air in so CO₂ can be collected by filters. When full, the filters are heated to 100°C, releasing the CO₂ which is then mixed with water and piped to an injection site.

Using technology developed by Reykjavik-based partner Carbfix, the resulting slurry is forced into basalt deep underground (a porous rock filled with cavities), where the carbonated water reacts with elements such as calcium, magnesium and iron to form carbonates that fill up the hollow pockets – providing a permanent and safe carbon sink in less than two years.

According to Carbfix, the global storage potential of using its technology is greater than the emissions from burning all fossil fuels on Earth.

“Mammoth” is an important stepping stone along the way to scaling up the technology.

By the year 2050, the International Energy Agency would like there to be 1,000s of plants like this around the world, collectively able to remove 980 million tonnes of CO₂ a year from the atmosphere.

Last year, 36 billion tonnes of energy-related CO₂ emissions were generated worldwide.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 01/07/2022; STORY: Graphic News
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