44.01 – the startup that can turn CO2 into a mineral using a completely natural process announced a new partnership with major companies in UAE. It will work with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), Fujairah Natural Resources Corporation (FNRC), and renewable energy company Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) to pilot its technology of mineralizing CO2 into rock.
44.01 is expanding into the UAE with a mineralization pilot in Fujairah and the partners on the project will help it execute its vision of taking CO2 out of the air and storing it permanently.
Relevant: Carbon Removal Startup 44.01 To Store CO2 In Oman
The initiative is the first carbon-negative project by an energy company in the Middle East and the first peridotite mineralization project to utilize seawater. It will also be 44.01’s largest pilot project to date, and its first project outside Oman.
According to 44.01, if successful, the pilot would open the possibility of mineralizing billions of tons of captured CO2 across the region which is a significant step towards providing safe, natural CO2 mineralization at scale.
The project is due to start in January 2023 and will use 44.01’s Earthshot prize-winning technology. Fujairah – the location of the pilot is selected due to its abundance of peridotite – a form of rock that naturally reacts with CO2 and mineralizes it.
Relevant: 44.01 Startup Wins $1.2M From Prince William’s Earthshot Prize Challenge
The investment from ADNOC’s side is part of the announced $15 billion allocation for landmark decarbonization projects that should help its goal of reducing emissions by 25% by 2030. The oil and gas major plans to invest in solutions like carbon capture, electrification, new CO2 absorption technology, hydrogen and renewables. ADNOC also invited global technology and industry leaders to work in partnership with ADNOC to develop these solutions.
In the pilot project, CO2 emissions are planned to be captured from air, dissolved in seawater, and then injected into peridotite formations deep underground, where they will mineralize. The process represents one of the safest storage opportunities for CO2 emissions because of its difficulty to escape back into the atmosphere.
