The developer of an improved rock weathering technology will receive $ 50 million to expand and expand the use of crushed basalt, a type of volcanic rock, to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide and improve soil conditions to the global south.
Mati Carbon, based in Houston, was the highest winner of the XPRIZE Contest, a global competition to promote promising solutions and carbon dioxide removal. The firm was among the 20 finalists who could prove successfully elimination of at least 1,000 tonnes of co2 From the air, the oceans or the two, in a year.
Mati Carbon applied more than 130,000 tonnes of basalt powder to the cultivated lands of India, Zambia, and in collaboration with engineers without borders, Tanzania, and the firm plans to deploy additional 300,000 in India during next year, as well as in the cultivated lands of the countries located mainly in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Oceania, which are often developed and less economical, and more economical, to challenges as poor. Rules compared to the Global North.
Basalt crushing fine dust is a way of improving rock that accelerates natural chemical processes to reduce co2 In the atmosphere and it also enriches nutrients in the soil.
Mati’s founder and CEO SANTANU AGARWAL2 In the air and the degradation of soil in the cultivated lands in some parts of the world that are most affected by the impacts of a fast overheating planet.
Although the application of basalt to land as a form of carbon dioxide elimination is a solution for “all humanity”, farmers living in the developing world also benefit, according to Agarwal.
Traditionally, scalability has been a problem, notes, and initially farmers accustomed to using cheaper chemical fertilizers pushed for the idea of using basalt in their fields and allowing soil to be monitored. But the advent and the growth of carbon markets have been a gamechanger, says Agarwal. Instead of using chemical fertilizers that degrade soil quality, farmers can now apply basalt powder at no cost and see an improvement of 30% to 50% of harvests returns,
“Our ambition is to really achieve this benefit in the hands of these smaller farmers and at the same time [people as well as] for food safety and economic safety of [those who are] Vulnerable climate, “Agarwal told Enr.
The Mati team was based on research started at the University of Yale and the Technology Institute of Georgia to provide the basalt crushed to thousands of farmers in the southern hemisphere developers.
To date, basalt deployments have increased the revenue of farmers by more than $ 1.5 million driven by higher yields of healthier soil conditions and smaller entry costs, according to the firm.
According to Michael Leitch, a technical leader of the XPrize carbon removal program, Mati Carbon developed a scientifically rigorous approach to the monitoring and verification of results and excelled in all evaluation criteria – operational, sustainability and cost metrics. [the firm] Long -term scalability of the solution. “
In May 2024, 20 finalist teams were selected to move to the final round of the competition. The group represents a series of solutions, according to Leitch.
“The cohort of the 20 finalists was really strong, and even the teams that did not reach the goal of 100 tons, which was the main differentiating when it were to judge, most are ready to be successful,” he says. Without exception, Leitch adds, the 20 finalist companies “are willing to climb and contribute to the short -term CDR industry”.
More than 1,300 teams from more than 88 countries participated in the first round of the competition to develop new methodologies for the removal of carbon dioxide in four removal routes: air, rocks, ocean and land.
