NEW DELHI: On Wednesday, the country’s largest hospital designed to reduce carbon dioxide from the atmosphere started activities in Iceland. Dubbed” Mammoth”, this plant is Climeworks ‘ second commercial direct air capture ( DAC ) facility in the nation and is significantly larger than its predecessor, Orca, which began in 2021. This trimming- edge tech draws in air and biologically gathers carbon dioxide, which can then be stored beneath, converted into stone, or reused.
The Swedish firm Climeworks, in partnership with Norwegian business Carbfix, plans to detain the captured coal by turning it into rock beneath the earth’s surface, utilizing Iceland’s numerous geothermal energy to power the procedure. According to a CNN document, this view highlights the growing trend of using next-generation weather options as the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations continue to be record highs.
Despite the potential of DAC systems to mitigate climate change outcomes, it has sparked discussion due to its high prices, energy needs, and concerns about its flexibility. According to critics, like technologies may distract attention from important reductions in fossil fuel usage, such as Lili Fuhr, director of the Center for International Environmental Law’s program on fossil fuels.
Mammoth, which began building in June 2022, features a compact design that allows for the flexible design of its 72 collection vessels. Now, with 12 containers functional and more to get added, the service aims to remove 36, 000 tons of coal annually—equivalent to removing about 7, 800 gas- driven cars from the road each year. Although Climeworks has not disclosed exact pricing per ton of carbon removed, it is thought to cost closer to$ 1,000 than$ 100. By 2050, the company hopes to reduce its costs to around$ 100 per ton, which could increase the company’s ability to expand its technology, according to the CNN report.
The challenge’s scope is still significant. About 0.01 million metric tons can be handled by current global carbon removal initiatives, which is far below the 70 million tons needed by 2030 to meet climate goals. There is still hope that significant progress can be made in tackling climate change, especially with larger DAC plants like Stratos being constructed in Texas and more ambitious plans for future facilities.
