REYKJAVIK – On the remote volcanic plains of Iceland, Singaporean Terence Tham, a 39-year-old chemical engineer, is at the forefront of the fight against climate change.
As senior plant manager at Mammoth, the world’s largest direct air capture (DAC) plant, Mr Tham keeps things shipshape at the 50,000 sq m facility - equivalent to the size of about seven football fields.
The plant, one of only about 20 such facilities in the world in operation, can remove about 36,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) every year. This is equivalent to taking around 8,000 cars off the road for a year.
Mammoth removes CO2 from the atmosphere using giant fans in container collectors, which pull air through filters to capture the planet-warming gas.
Companies such as tech giant Microsoft and financial services firm Stripe pay for this carbon removal service to meet their climate change commitments.
While this amount of emissions is just a fraction of annual global emissions - which amounted to over 37.4 billion tonnes in 2023 - scientists consider such novel technology key in humanity’s bid to limit global temperature rise.
Globally, scientists estimate that up to 10 billion tonnes of CO2 will need to be removed annually from the atmosphere by 2050, according to global research non-profit organisation World Resources Institute.
Currently, only 12 of 72 collector containers - which will allow the plant to take in the 36,000 tonnes of CO2 - have been deployed at Mammoth. Mr Tham coordinates with other stakeholders to ramp up production and deploy the remaining containers.
His team carries out maintenance and monitors the plant 24/7, ensuring it is run safely and efficiently. Mr Tham also works with Carbfix, an Icelandic company that turns captured CO2 into stone and stores it underground.
This story is from the October 07, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October 07, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Actress Rui En to sell bak kwa for a good cause
Local actress Rui En has made her first foray into entrepreneurship while also giving back to the community.
Squid Game 2 Tops Global Charts With 68 Million Views Amid Mixed Reactions
The second season of Netflix's blockbuster survival series Squid Game attracted more than 68 million views since its debut on Dec 26, topping the company's streaming charts globally.
Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt finalize divorce after 8 years
Actor Brad Pitt and actress Angelina Jolie signed off on a divorce settlement on Dec 30, according to American media, marking a turning point in the eight-year legal saga.
It Ends With Us director sues NYT over Blake Lively story
Justin Baldoni, the American director and co-star of the romance film It Ends With Us (2024), and his publicists sued The New York Times on Dec 31, claiming the news organization defamed them in a story about allegations by Blake Lively, his co-star, that she had been the victim of a smear campaign.
Singapore Pop Icon Anita Sarawak Spotted in Las Vegas
Even after a public absence of over a decade, Singaporean 1970s pop diva Anita Sarawak still piques the interest of regional media.
Babygirl not that hot, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl a quaint charmer
The story: Nicole Kidman won the best actress award at the 2024 Venice Film Festival for her performance of a chief executive who risks everything for an affair with an office intern (Harris Dickinson) half her age.
Streaming Sneaks Kick off the year with K-romance, nerdy heroes
In this monthly column, The Straits Times' streaming picks for January include a star-studded South Korean romcom, the return of a sleeper hit action thriller, a dangerous maths problem and a dead president.
I Am Seaweed playwright inspired by miso soup
A friend enamoured with making miso soup during the Covid-19 lockdown in Sydney, Australia, was the source of unlikely personal revelation for Singaporean theatremaker Cheryl Ho.
Exciting four hands and two pianos debut
It is a pleasure to encounter new piano duos – ensembles that hone the performance of music for four hands and two pianos into a fine art.
2008 play finds new relevance in divisive world
Playwright Haresh Sharma's monologue Eclipse, to be restaged in January, deals with the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan