Gold Standard has published a new methodology for microbial carbon dioxide mineralization, developed in partnership with science-led company Andes and with contributions from external reviewers.
The novel methodology presents a pathway for durable CO2 removal and storage in existing agricultural fields through the formation of soil inorganic carbon (SIC).
Providing rigorous requirements and guidelines for quantifying the achieved carbon removal, the methodology comes with a maximum crediting period of 10 years.
It covers the process in which useful soil bacteria interact with plant roots, capturing CO2 emissions from the atmosphere and converting them into soil inorganic carbon.
The process of microbial CO2 mineralization not only helps address excess carbon emissions in the atmosphere, but it also boosts the health of soils and plants through the concentration of minerals in agricultural land.
Acknowledging this process as a potent carbon dioxide removal (CDR) pathway, the new Gold Standard methodology offers steps on how it should be performed in alignment with science-based rules.
As such, it employs a measure‑and‑remeasure approach based on direct soil samples to monitor and verify the increases in soil inorganic carbon delivered via microbial CO2 mineralization.
It uses a robust baseline, and it monitors untreated control plots to isolate the microbial impact, and it also puts in place safeguards for food security, such as withholding credits if microbial CO2 mineralization operations cause yield losses to occur.
While the methodology does require the monitoring of the levels of soil organic carbon, its scope does not include its achieved improvements.
Relevant: New Whitepaper Outlines Major CDR Scaling Opportunities Via Industrial Mineralization
Gold Standard clarifies that even though the methodology is globally applicable for a wide range of crops, soil types, and climate zones, it cannot be used for wetlands, grasslands, irrigated land, or forests.
Before embarking on this kind of project, developers should make sure that the ability of the microbes to lock in atmospheric CO2 with selected crop types has been demonstrated in lab and field studies.
Keeping in line with the guidance provided by the Paris Agreement, the Gold Standard microbial carbon dioxide mineralization methodology presents a novel, durable solution for high-integrity, nature-based climate action.
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