Mammoth

2024: Factory Launch

Swiss start-up Climeworks has launched the world's largest carbon dioxide-absorbing factory. This event took place in May 2024.

The Mammoth factory has officially started operations. It is located on a sleepless volcano in Iceland, not far from a large thermal power station, which, in turn, is located close to the active volcano. With 72 industrial fans, the Mammoth factory plans to suck up 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year and 'bury' it underground.

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Фото: Climeworks

To achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, we must remove about 16 billion tons of carbon dioxide from the air per year. I am convinced that most of this volume is obliged to come from technical solutions - commented on the launch of the factory Jan Wurzbacher, co-founder and co-head of Climeworks.

The intake air will be highly heated to separate the carbon dioxide from the water vapor. Next, the gas is compressed and sent to a huge hangar, where it is sent through pipes to a large pool of water, where it dissolves and the water is sent underground. Water is then discharged into a crater with volcanic basalt, where, thanks to the interaction of water with magnesia, calcium and iron, crystals are formed - a solid form of carbon dioxide.

Experts note the innovation of the development, but remind of the insufficient volume of air purification. According to Climeworks, the company considers it a realistic goal to reach a billion tons of air per year by 2050. However, Karolos Hertel, the company's CTO, notes, the actions of one company will not be enough.

The correctness of our direction will depend on social processes to the same extent as on technical ones. Am I optimistic as an engineer? Yes. Am I optimistic as a citizen? I'm in doubt, "Hertel added.[1]

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