Carbon Removal: Startup Eoin’s ‘Enhanced Rock Weathering’ technique

by Amy Lewis

November 23, 2023

It is no secret that removing carbon from the atmosphere is crucial in battling the climate crisis. Startup Eion is successfully pioneering a new technique to do this : their Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) strategy promises to remove two gigatons of CO2 annually, comprising one third of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) six-gigaton removal goal.

The technique involves the quarrying and scattering of crushed rocks containing the olivine mineral. Reacting with the acidity of its surrounding soil and rain, the olivine absorbs CO2 as it traverses the soil. The vast majority of this CO2 then works through the soil to the ocean, where it is locked for good. 

The ERW strategy is coupled with advanced carbon measuring techniques – quite the challenge, as noted on Eion’s website: “Measuring carbon removal is a riddle – essentially trying to prove that something (an invisible gas) is no longer there.” (bolding added)

The startup’s carbon measurement technique relies on taking pre- and post-mineral application samples, then tracing the elements and micronutrients that remain in the soil. By identifying the fluctuation in soil alkaline-levels from root to subsoil level – ie. from near surface level to deep below the soil’s surface – the company can also ascertain how much carbon has been dissolved. 

In the words of Elliot Chang, Eion co-founder and CTO:

“While I still can’t take a literal measurement of the missing carbon dioxide, I can confidently quantify how much was removed in the weathering process by understanding the elements that our CarbonLock left behind and observing changes in the soil.”

In other words, Eion looks for a “fingerprint” – something that’s left behind when the minerals are dissolved and carbon dioxide has been absorbed.

“Stripe has been that lighthouse customer for Eion”

Eion’s business model depends on support from the Stripe Climate organisation. To fund their endeavours, Eion has successfully delivered its first 500-ton purchase of carbon removal to Stripe, thus securing a further $1 million carbon repurchase from the company.

Eion Cofounders Adam Wolf and Elliot Chang write in Eion’s blog about the huge significance of having Stripe as a buyer:

“To make a great company, you need a great customer, and Stripe has been that lighthouse customer for Eion. Stripe is a catalytic leader in the CDR space, with exacting technical standards and a high scientific bar. Such standards are critical to building trust with buyers, growing confidence with the public, and ensuring carbon removal broadly scales into impactful climate change solutions.” (bolding added)

This isn’t the startup’s only partnership – AGRIgate, also known as SouthernAg, provides Eion’s management team with farmer-approved advice. SouthernAg advises farmers that represent over 1 million acres of land, and contributes over 200 years of experience in crop management and agricultural research.

SouthernAg therefore provides Eion with a link to the farming community, aiding with farmer engagement and the social aspects of Eion’s business. This is crucial –  if ERW is to gain traction and become a widespread choice for carbon capture, key players in the agricultural industry will have to get involved.

Additionally, Eion has partnered with Norwegian company Sibelco – a leading mineral supplier, that gives Eion their olivine. Thanks to this partnership, the startup is able to access 500,000 tons minimum of olivine per year, inching them closer to attaining their target of removing 10 million tons of carbon annually from 2030 onwards.

Ian Sedgman, Sibelco’s Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer, is hopeful about the impact this partnership could have on carbon reduction:

“If we put a very ambitious but achievable target on Eion, if they scale to between 5 and 10 million tons a year, that would already be the largest negative emissions company on the planet by a huge scale.” (bolding added)

This is obviously huge for Eion, and speaks to the potential widespread use of ERW in the coming years. It comes alongside a wave of other carbon slashing entrepreneurial endeavours – we’re seeing startups producing DNA-altered plants manufactured to absorb more carbon, as well as old wood that’s able to store carbon. Eion’s success is in large part due to its advantageous partnerships, which we should hope to see for other carbon startups in the near future, too.

But carbon removal via ERW is not all roses…There are potential drawbacks and unwanted side-effects

ERW holds promises to help accelerate carbon removal and enable the fossil fuels industry to continue to operate during the transition period toward green energy, which is not likely to happen overnight. Countries will have to adopt new policies to encourage this transition and we will see how this works out and how likely it is to happen at the upcoming COP28.

To some extent, ERW potential drawbacks and unwanted side-effects are still unknown and require more research. As of now, the position of experts on this matter can be summed up as follows. Potential unwanted fallout from ERW includes:

• Over-dependence on fossil fuels for the execution of ERW (in this case: olivine) which may prove to be a challenge and reduce overall efficacy;
• Still insufficient data and inability to accurately predict how fluxes in nutrients are likely to impact Earth’s various ecological systems;
• The possibility that applications of rock powder to soil surfaces may increase overall dust.

These are matters to consider, and one thing is certain: More research and more time is needed to confirm the validity of this approach.

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This article was originally published on IMPAKTER. Read the original article.