Decarbonization: the Mammoth project, green smelters and refineries

The Austrian company OBRIST Group uses carbon dioxide to produce the so-called green methanol – a chemical compound that can serve as a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. The company uses Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology, which filters CO2 from the atmosphere and treats it for industrial purposes. In turn, the Swiss company Climeworks AG launched the Mammoth project in Iceland – a huge “vacuum cleaner” that can remove 36,000 t of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere per year.

Century Aluminum Company intends to build the first aluminium smelter in the United States in 45 years. The Green Aluminum Smelter project could double the amount of clean aluminium produced in the country while emitting 75% less CO2 than older smelters thanks to increased efficiency and the use of renewable energy. Meanwhile, chemists at Utrecht University are proposing a way to decarbonize oil refineries to meet the net-zero emissions goal: developing refineries that produce chemicals and materials from biomass and recycled plastics instead of crude oil, and synthetic fuels from hydrogen and carbon dioxide using electricity from renewable energy sources. Replacing one oil refinery with technology compliant with net zero emissions targets will cost between €14 and €23 billion. 

While the shipping industry is also under increasing pressure to decarbonise, unclear regulatory guidance, such as on technology and the type of cleaner fuel large ships should burn, complicates the path to net zero emissions.