Terradot, powered by its partnership with Microsoft, is working on a cutting-edge, soil-to-stream research site in Brazil called Sentinel that will enable the detailed monitoring of the complete carbon journey in enhanced rock weathering (ERW).
The novel site will serve to answer questions around the real-life performance of ERW as a carbon removal method and the steps that need to be taken for its responsible scaling.
Sentinel will act as a live laboratory where Terradot will apply novel monitoring systems on traditional farm operations while also delivering commercial carbon removal.
The creation of the site was made possible through Terradot’s collaboration with Microsoft, who invested in 12,000 tonnes of ERW carbon removal earlier this year, to be delivered by Terradot between 2026 and 2029.
The mutual interest of the two companies stretches beyond just the offtake agreement, as with this financial support Microsoft also backed Terradot’s measurement-first approach, stimulating the field trials, lab work, and data infrastructure behind the Terradot platform.
Sentinel will conduct ongoing research into the ERW process, examining how its mechanism operates from soil to aquifer to stream.
Located in Sao Paolo state, the site will leverage the favorable climate and copious renewable energy supply in the region to spread basalt rocks from an extensive network of quarries over farmland positioned within a single watershed.
Here, Terradot is constructing a comprehensive monitoring network that will measure the carbon retention along all the ERW stages, from the spread basalt rocks getting in contact with rainwater and capturing atmospheric CO2 in the form of bicarbonates to the bicarbonates travelling through rainwater into the aquifer and stream to reach a larger river system.
Relevant: Terradot To Unlock Next-Gen ERW Monitoring Via New CDR Deal With Microsoft
The monitoring network will also include deep groundwater wells, in-situ soil sensors, and surface-water stations, as well as bedrock-deep soil and sediment core drillings, to establish the mineralogy and chemistry of the complete soil profile.
This detailed research will be focused on providing answers in three key areas: agricultural interactions, carbon in deep soil & aquifers, and the degassing at springs & streams, providing insights that will fortify the credibility and confidence in ERW as a reliable, science-backed carbon removal approach.
Read more: Rubicon Carbon, Terradot Partner To Advance Enhanced Rock Weathering In Brazil
