The $50m grand X-Prize winner.

https://www.mati.earth/

“Enhanced Rock Weathering is scalable, durable, equitable carbon dioxide removal.
Mati Carbon offers an innovative technology to scale gigaton carbon removal that holds the potential to build climate resilience and economic empowerment for more than 100 million smallholder farmers in the developing economies worldwide.”

“Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) is the practice of applying crushed rocks and silicate minerals to agricultural land or soil to accelerate rock weathering. Mati uses basalt applied to cropland, partnering with smallholder farmers to practice ERW as a Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) strategy at scale in the Global South.
As Mati’s basalt dissolves, cations such as calcium and magnesium (Ca2+ and Mg2+) are released into the groundwater. The addition of cations to the ground water results is a series of chemical reactions involving carbonic acid. Through this process CO2 gas in the soil is converted to dissolved bicarbonate (HCO3–). Carbonic acid (H2O + CO2 = H2CO3) is formed naturally in soils by plant respiration. Conversion of dissolved carbonic acid sources to bicarbonate effectively removes CO2 from the atmosphere. Next, the bicarbonate percolates into streams and rivers, and is later delivered to the oceans. Once bicarbonate is transported to deep aquifers or deposited in the ocean it stably stores carbon for >10,000 years.”

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Any Geo’s want to fact check this?

how are they going to smash that rock and get it where it’s meant to go

Kingy said:

The $50m grand X-Prize winner.

https://www.mati.earth/

“Enhanced Rock Weathering is scalable, durable, equitable carbon dioxide removal.
Mati Carbon offers an innovative technology to scale gigaton carbon removal that holds the potential to build climate resilience and economic empowerment for more than 100 million smallholder farmers in the developing economies worldwide.”

“Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) is the practice of applying crushed rocks and silicate minerals to agricultural land or soil to accelerate rock weathering. Mati uses basalt applied to cropland, partnering with smallholder farmers to practice ERW as a Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) strategy at scale in the Global South.
As Mati’s basalt dissolves, cations such as calcium and magnesium (Ca2+ and Mg2+) are released into the groundwater. The addition of cations to the ground water results is a series of chemical reactions involving carbonic acid. Through this process CO2 gas in the soil is converted to dissolved bicarbonate (HCO3–). Carbonic acid (H2O + CO2 = H2CO3) is formed naturally in soils by plant respiration. Conversion of dissolved carbonic acid sources to bicarbonate effectively removes CO2 from the atmosphere. Next, the bicarbonate percolates into streams and rivers, and is later delivered to the oceans. Once bicarbonate is transported to deep aquifers or deposited in the ocean it stably stores carbon for >10,000 years.”

———————————————————————————

Any Geo’s want to fact check this?

It’s hard to accept that an engineering project to signifantly increase the rate weathering on earth would be simpler or cheaper than for instance afforestation

Mate has been using rock dust on his orchard for many years.. swears by it. There seems to a bit of a buzz around the practice with some gardeners recently.

.
Highlights

The potential of silicate rock powders (SRPs) as sustainable fertilizer is reviewed.

SRPs can increase crop yields and improve soil health.

The most important factors for the usage of SRPs are presented.

Significant potential for highly weathered soils in the tropics

SRPs can induce (a)biotic stress resistance in plants and sequester CO2.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896972106054X

Ian said:

Mate has been using rock dust on his orchard for many years.. swears by it. There seems to a bit of a buzz around the practice with some gardeners recently.

.
Highlights

The potential of silicate rock powders (SRPs) as sustainable fertilizer is reviewed.

SRPs can increase crop yields and improve soil health.

The most important factors for the usage of SRPs are presented.

Significant potential for highly weathered soils in the tropics

SRPs can induce (a)biotic stress resistance in plants and sequester CO2.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896972106054X

The good thing about this, is that these are slower release of nutrients and also help keep the soil at home rather than in your neighbour’s paddock.