"Rock Dust: A Promising Climate Solution Backed by Tech Giants and Startups"
Companies including Stripe, Alphabet, and Shopify are investing over $57 million in a carbon removal initiative called Frontier, which aims to fight climate change by spreading crushed rock over farmland. This process, known as enhanced weathering, utilizes rocks' natural ability to absorb carbon dioxide. However, measuring the amount of CO2 sequestered has proven challenging. Lithos Carbon, an agtech startup, has developed a method to empirically measure carbon capture. By grinding rocks like basalt into gravel or dust and spreading them across land, the surface area increases, allowing for more CO2 absorption. Lithos then measures the chemical composition of the soil to determine the amount of CO2 removed. While there are challenges to overcome, such as potential side effects and accurately measuring carbon capture, enhanced weathering shows promise as a strategy to combat climate change.
