Swiss company unveils massive Icelandic climate vacuum designed to filter carbon from the air

Swiss company Climeworks has opened the world's largest Direct Air Capture (DAC) plant in Iceland, aiming to remove 36,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually. According to a statement from the company, the plant dubbed "Mammoth," is powered by Iceland's abundant geothermal energy, and is ten times the size of Climework's first DAC plant, Orca, which began operation in 2021.

Direct Air Capture technology involves capturing ambient air and chemically extracting carbon dioxide from it. The carbon is then stored deep underground and converted to stone, safely stowing away the chemicals.

As global warming accelerates and carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere continue to rise, there is an increasing need to remove carbon in addition to cutting fossil fuel emissions. However, DAC technology has been met with criticism due to its high cost, energy demand, and unproven scalability. Some environmentalists also fear it may divert attention from policies targeting fossil fuel reduction, according to CNN.

Mammoth plant's modular design consists of 72 collector containers designed to extract carbon in the atmosphere. Currently, there are 12 containers in place, with more to be added in the coming months. According to Climeworks, the plant can remove an amount of carbon dioxide equivalent to taking 7,800 gas-powered cars off the road for a year at full capacity.

Despite progress with the new plant, the International Energy Agency states that DAC facilities' current capacity is only 0.01 million metric tons per year, far lower than the 70 million tons needed annually to match international climate goals by 2030. Other companies are also developing larger DAC plants, such as Occidental's Stratos in Texas, which aims to remove 500,000 tons of carbon per year.

Climeworks reportedly plans to scale-up to one million tons of carbon removal per year by 2030 and one billion tons by 2050, and is planning potential future DAC plants in Kenya and the United States.