Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is naturally removed from the air when it reacts with certain types of rock. We can accelerate this process by crushing suitable rocks and spreading them over agricultural fields. This simple method, known as “enhanced rock weathering”, could vastly increase the rate of CO₂ removal from the atmosphere. Modelling studies suggest billions of tonnes of CO₂ might be removed annually if crushed rocks were applied to croplands globally. With current energy-related emissions at 37 billion tonnes a year, this means enhanced weathering could contribute in a big way to reaching net zero emissions. A new industry is...

Microsoft signed a three-year agreement to permanently remove CO2 using enhanced rock weathering (ERW). The agreement was signed with Lithos Carbon, which — as of December 2023 — delivered 500 tons of carbon removal for Microsoft by deploying ultra-fine, organic-grade volcanic basalt rock dust on U.S. farmland. Over...

Capturing CO2 with Lithos Carbon’s Collaboration with Microsoft. Lithos Carbon is making waves in the carbon removal industry, having secured a fresh three-year deal with one of the biggest names in global tech: Microsoft. This renewed partnership signifies Microsoft’s commitment to tackling climate change head-on, as they aim to become carbon negative by 2030. But what makes this collaboration so special?

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Oct. 17, 2024) — Faculty members at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and North Carolina State University will use a $1 million federal grant to investigate a promising new method to improve soil health and organic crop yields and mitigate the effects of climate change.

A weird technology has emerged as a leader in the quest for net zero. But this form of carbon capture, called Enhanced Rock Weathering (or ERW for short), still requires innovation — and government oversight. Society has a knack for embracing new technologies, often driven by a blend of...

A new study from Harvard scientists reveals that the catastrophic impact actually allowed life on Earth to flourish. The post Massive meteorite impact 3 billion years ago aided life on Earth’s growth appeared first on Talker.

An unexpected and obscure phenomenon in the Arctic could dramatically accelerate climate change: the weathering of rocks. This natural process in the Canadian Arctic could potentially trigger a feedback loop, accelerating the release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere as global temperatures continue to rise. Arctic rock weathering Rock weathering is a process where certain minerals and rocks react with oxygen in the atmosphere. This results in a series of chemical reactions that ultimately release CO2. As an example, the weathering of sulfide minerals - like fool's gold - produces an acid that forces CO2 out of other rock minerals. The scary part? This...

Eion, a carbon removal company turning the proven science of enhanced rock weathering (ERW) into a scalable climate solution, announced a contract to deliver 8,000 tons of permanent carbon dioxide removal to Microsoft. And Eion also announced it has closed $3 million in Series A extension funding from agricultural distributor Growmark, AgFunder, Ridgeline, Trailhead Capital, Overture Partners, Mercator Partners, Exelon Foundation, and others.

Large meteorite impacts must have strongly affected the habitability of the early Earth. Rocks of the Archean Eon record at least 16 major impact events, involving bolides larger than 10 km in diameter. These impacts probably had severe, albeit temporary, consequences for surface environments. However, their effect on early life is not well understood. Here, we analyze the sedimentology, petrography, and carbon isotope geochemistry of sedimentary rocks across the S2 impact event (37 to 58 km carbonaceous chondrite) forming part of the 3.26 Ga Fig Tree Group, South Africa, to evaluate its environmental effects and biological consequences. The impact initiated 1) a giant tsunami that mixed Fe2+-rich deep waters into the Fe2+-poor shallow waters and washed debris into coastal areas, 2) heating that caused partial evaporation of surface ocean waters and likely a short-term increase in weathering and erosion on land, and 3) injection of P from vaporization of the S2 bolide. Strata immediately above the S2 impact event contain abundant siderites, which are associated with organic matter and exhibit light and variable δ13Ccarb values. This is consistent with microbial iron cycling in the wake of the impact event. Thus, the S2 impact likely had regional, if not global, positive and negative effects on life. The tsunami, atmospheric heating, and darkness would likely have decimated phototrophic microbes in the shallow water column. However, the biosphere likely recovered rapidly, and, in the medium term, the increase in nutrients and iron likely facilitated microbial blooms, especially of iron-cycling microbes.

Someday we may see a farmer grinding field-strewn rocks into powder for a soil additive, and getting paid for it by some carbon credit program. The post Grinding rocks into a soil additive? It may be closer than you think appeared first on AGDAILY.