Microsoft has signed a follow-on carbon removal deal with enhanced rock weathering (ERW) developer UNDO.
This collaboration follows a deal between the two companies signed in 2023, in which UNDO committed to spreading 25,000 tonnes of basalt rock on farmland with the goal of sequestering 5,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next 20 years.
Building on this experience, Micorsoft and UNDO now signed an additional agreement, committing to remove 15,000 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere. The deal will also provide financial backing for scientific research that will advance the field of ERW.
Enhanced rock weathering represents a promising approach to durable carbon removal.
Accelerating naturally occurring rock weathering, in which rainwater CO2 comes in contact with silicate rocks and mineralizes, UNDO spreads crushed silicate rocks across land used for agriculture, providing a faster process for storing carbon as a solid for hundreds of thousands of years.
With the funding from the tech giant, UNDO intends to set up practical trials and monitoring sites for its technology in Canada. One such test site is planned to be created at a research farm owned by the University of Guelph and a second one at UNDO’s principal laboratory for operations at Queen’s University, Kingston.
UNDO will focus on refining its science-backed work on the measurement, reporting, and verification of ERW-based carbon dioxide removal.
Jim Mann, CEO and Founder of UNDO, commented: “This agreement with Microsoft is a clear signal to the market that enhanced rock weathering has potential to deliver scalable carbon removal and that UNDO can deliver critical scientific research to instill more confidence in this vital climate tech.”
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He goes on to add that the company is eager to continue advancing the science of ERW by scaling research and data gathering, something they will be able to do mainly with the continued support by Microsoft.
Founded in Scotland, UNDO currently has operations in Southeast Ontario. Looking ahead, the company plans to expand its presence into Eastern Canada, including Ontario and Québec.
To that end, the company is forming a network of strategic partnerships that will enable it to spread millions of tonnes of silicate rock, brining them closer to the billion-tonne scale.
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