In a bid to combat climate change, Climeworks’ monumental Direct-Air-Capture plant, Mammoth, is making remarkable progress. Designed to capture a staggering 36,000 tons of CO₂ annually, Mammoth signifies a pivotal step on Climeworks’ path to achieving multi-megaton capacity by the 2030s and gigaton capacity by 2050.
The construction of Mammoth began in June 2022 in Iceland, and despite global supply chain challenges, it has persevered. The facility’s cladding, collector containers, and maintenance hall foundations were completed by the end of that year. The new year marked the production of CO₂ collector containers, underscoring Mammoth’s impressive timeline.
What’s truly groundbreaking is Mammoth’s approach to CO₂ storage, orchestrated in partnership with Carbfix. Boreholes, inserted vertically into basalt ground, will channel captured CO₂ for mineralization deep below. This ingenious technique, combined with Carbfix’s rapid mineralization process, transforms CO₂ into stone within two years, ensuring lasting impact.
Importantly, Mammoth boasts on-site injection wells, a deviation from Climeworks previous model “Orca”. By situating these wells less than 100 meters from the process hall, Mammoth optimizes CO₂ delivery to Carbfix for permanent storage, differing from Orca’s pipeline method. Mammoth embodies the importance of geological storage of CO₂, a robust solution on the journey to carbon neutrality. Mineralization, like Carbfix’s pioneering method, showcases the scalability and permanence of this approach.
Climeworks’ international expansion is also underway, seeking suitable DAC locations coupled with geological storage partners worldwide. As Mammoth progresses, it reinforces Climeworks’ dedication to mitigating climate impact. With a strong legacy and focus of research and deployment, Climeworks remains at the forefront of Direct-Air-Capture (DAC) technologies, with a high chance to make a real impact on a greener future.