Mitsubishi Corporation has signed an agreement with Alt Carbon, partnering to scale enhanced rock weathering (ERW) in South Asia and to generate tons of high-quality, durable carbon removal.
The partnership will support the work of India-based Alt Carbon and their ERW technology, whose operations center around spreading crushed CO2-absorbing basalt rock on large areas of agricultural land.
By doing this, the company enables a decarbonization process that tackles atmospheric CO2. Namely, once the crushed basalt spread on the land gets in contact with rainwater, it absorbs carbon dioxide that then gets stored in the soil.
Eventually, the dissolved inorganic CO2 makes its way from the soil to water and river networks that ultimately take it to the ocean, where it remains locked for more than 10,000 years.
Leveraging this technology, Alt Carbon has managed to position itself as one of the leading carbon removal developers in the Global South.
The company is further powered by an in-house MRV and a team comprised of scientists from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and the Darjeeling Climate Action Lab (D-CAL).
Tadashi Sawamura, GM, Carbon Management Dept., Mitsubishi Corporation, shared that the company sees a formidable partner in Alt Carbon, with highly innovative technology in a breakthrough ERW process that locks CO2 in the ocean sink.
He stated, “From removing carbon, helping local farmers, to stringent testing measures to generate CDR credits, Alt Carbon is uniquely positioned to capture the ERW market.”
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On behalf of Alt Carbon, Co-founder & CEO Shrey Agarwal commented, “Having an institution like Mitsubishi Corporation recognize and support our efforts entrenches our belief in the science and technology behind ERW for carbon removal.”
Agarwal explained that for a period of 15 months, the company rigorously tested and modelled its operations and technology in the single pursuit of removing CO2.
“This is just the first step, but it feels like a giant leap as MC partners with us to make India a hub for carbon removal,” he added.
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