CO₂ deal rocks

UNDO and Microsoft plan to permanently remove 15,000t of CO₂ from the atmosphere via enhanced rock weathering.

In total for this agreement, 65,000t of crushed silicate rock combined will be shared across the UK (40,000t) and Canada (25,000t).

This is the second enhanced rock weathering (ERW) deal between the organisations.

Microsoft says it will contribute to its commitment to be carbon-negative by 2030, and provides funding for UNDO to carry out further research into ERW.

Under the arrangement, UNDO spreads volcanic rock dust across farmland to permanently capture carbon in the soil.

This process accelerates natural weathering cycles, whereby the CO₂ in rainwater interacts with silicate rocks (e.g. basalt, wollastonite), mineralises and is stored as solid carbon.

This mineral-rich rock is sourced from the mining and quarrying industries, as it breaks down, it releases nutrients, raises and stabilises soil pH, and increases crop yield.

The IPCC 2022 Mitigation of Climate Change report suggests that enhanced rock weathering, if scaled, could remove up to 4Bt of CO₂ per year.

Jim Mann, CEO and Founder of UNDO, says, ‘We are eager to continue our work advancing the science of enhanced rock weathering by scaling up our research and data-gathering capabilities, which will be greatly facilitated by Microsoft’s continued backing.’

With the funding, UNDO will set up new field trials and monitoring sites, including one on a research farm owned by Newcastle University, UK.