In a bid to counteract the devastating impact of pollution on the climate, Google and other big companies have invested heavily in a plan to trap carbon dioxide using rocks. This innovative approach, known as enhanced rock weathering (ERW), involves speeding up a natural process that can take thousands of years to occur naturally.

A New Era in Carbon Removal

Recently, Google, H&M Group, and Salesforce collectively agreed to pay Terradot $27 million to remove 90,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This multimillion-dollar deal was brokered by Frontier, a carbon removal initiative led by Stripe, Google, Shopify, and McKinsey Sustainability.

Separately, Google announced its own deal with Terradot to purchase an additional 200,000 tons of carbon removal. While the company declined to disclose the cost of this deal, it is estimated that it could be worth up to $60 million if the price per ton of CO2 captured is similar to the Frontier agreement.

The Science Behind Enhanced Rock Weathering

Enhanced rock weathering attempts to accelerate a natural process that occurs when rainfall breaks down rocks, releasing calcium and magnesium. This reaction triggers a chemical process that traps CO2 in water as bicarbonate. The groundwater carrying this bicarbonate eventually makes its way to the ocean, where it is stored and kept out of the atmosphere.

Terradot’s approach involves crushing up rock and spreading it out over a large area to increase the surface area exposed to CO2. The company has a 2029 deadline to make good on the Frontier deal and aims to capture an additional 200,000 tons for Google by the early 2030s.

A Partnership with Brazil

Terradot has formed a partnership with Brazil’s agricultural research agency (EMBRAPA) to use its ERW strategy on over one million hectares of land. The company sources basalt from quarries in southern Brazil and transports it to nearby farms, where it is used as a natural fertilizer.

The hot and humid climate of Brazil helps to speed up the weathering process, making it an ideal location for Terradot’s operations. However, the company faces challenges in measuring the effectiveness of its approach, with experts warning that it is difficult to accurately quantify how much CO2 is captured.

Measuring Success

Google admits that it is challenging to measure the precision of carbon capture using ERW. However, the company believes that deploying this approach widely in the real world will help develop more rigorous measurement tools.

Terradot plans to take soil samples to assess how much CO2 is captured based on how the rock degrades over time. However, there are concerns that fertilizer in the soil could limit the amount of carbon captured through ERW.

Experts Weigh In

Dr. Jagoutz, a geologist at Harvard University, notes that the uncertainty surrounding ERW does not need to stop trials in the real world. "I also think, why not try?… I don’t think we have the luxury to overthink it right now."

While ERW is seen as a promising approach to carbon capture, experts warn that it should not be used as a substitute for emissions reductions. Carbon removal, at best, can only attempt to counteract some of a company’s legacy pollution while they make the transition to clean energy.

Google’s Commitment to Sustainability

Google has made significant strides in reducing its carbon footprint by investing in advanced nuclear reactors and new solar and wind farms to power its data centers. However, the company acknowledges that it still has work to do to achieve net-zero emissions.

Kanoff, CEO of Terradot, emphasizes that Google’s commitment to sustainability is genuine and that the company recognizes the need for both emissions reductions and carbon removal. "Any of the partners we’re even thinking about working with, they have some of the most aggressive emission reduction strategies of any of the companies really in the world."

Conclusion

The partnership between Google and Terradot marks a significant breakthrough in climate change mitigation efforts. While ERW is not a panacea for pollution, it represents a promising approach to carbon capture that can be used in conjunction with emissions reductions.

As experts continue to study and refine this technology, companies like Google are leading the way in investing in innovative solutions to combat climate change. However, it is essential to acknowledge that ERW should not replace efforts to reduce emissions but rather complement them as part of a broader strategy to mitigate the impact of pollution on the environment.

References

  • "Google’s future data centers will be built next to solar and wind farms" (Source: The Verge)
  • "Google inks nuclear deal for next-generation reactors" (Source: Bloomberg)
  • "Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels are already making heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, storms, and other climate disasters more dangerous." (Source: NASA)

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