Lithos Carbon Removal Service: Fighting Climate Change with Basalt Dust

Service

Lithos Carbon offers a carbon removal service focused on Enhanced Rock Weathering, a process that uses crushed basalt rock dust to capture and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This service is designed to be both environmentally beneficial and economically advantageous for farmers.

Their carbon removal service involves applying crushed basalt rock dust to farmland, a process known as Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW). This service is highly tailored to each farm's specific needs, using proprietary software to optimize the application of basalt for maximum carbon capture and soil health improvement. Additionally, Lithos Carbon manages the entire process, from sourcing and delivering the basalt to measuring the captured carbon and providing carbon credits. They partner with farmers, handling the logistics and ensuring that the application is beneficial both for carbon sequestration and for the farmers' crop yields

Farmers benefit from improved crop yields and soil health, and they can also earn additional income through the sale of carbon credits generated from the carbon sequestered on their land. Lithos Carbon then sells these carbon credits to corporations looking to offset their emissions.

Overview of how the service works:

1. Application of Basalt Rock Dust: Lithos Carbon partners with farmers to spread finely crushed basalt rock dust over their fields. The dust acts as a slow-release fertilizer, enriching the soil with essential nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and iron, which benefits crop growth.

2. Carbon Sequestration: When basalt dust interacts with rainwater, it undergoes a chemical reaction that captures CO₂ from the atmosphere. This reaction forms dissolved bicarbonates, which eventually make their way to the ocean, where they are stored long-term, effectively removing the carbon from the atmosphere.

3. Optimized Deployment: Lithos Carbon uses proprietary software to tailor the application of basalt dust to each farm’s specific needs. This software analyzes soil chemistry, crop requirements, and local environmental conditions to maximize both carbon capture and crop yield.

4. Measurement and Verification: The service includes rigorous measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) protocols to ensure that the carbon capture is accurately quantified. This data is used to generate carbon credits, which can be sold on the carbon market, providing an additional revenue stream for participating farmers.

5. Farmer Benefits: In addition to removing carbon, the basalt dust helps improve soil health, increase crop yields, and replace the use of agricultural lime, which is a net emitter of CO₂. Farmers benefit from healthier crops, improved soil resilience, and potential income from the sale of carbon credits.

Basalt and its role

Basalt is a type of volcanic rock that is one of the most common rock types on Earth. It forms from the rapid cooling of basaltic lava, which is low in silica content, and is typically dark in colour—ranging from black to dark grey. Basalt is rich in minerals such as iron, magnesium, and calcium, which makes it highly valuable for various applications.

In agriculture and environmental management, basalt is often used in a crushed form known as basalt rock dust. This dust is spread over soil where it decomposes and releases nutrients, which helps improve soil health and plant growth.

Cost implications of using basalt compared to other methods

Cost Range

The cost of carbon sequestration through enhanced weathering of basalt is estimated to be between $80 and $180 per tonne of CO₂ removed. This range is competitive compared to other methods such as bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), which costs between $100 and $200 per tonne, and direct air capture (DAC), which ranges from $100 to $300 per tonne.

The cost of basalt weathering includes expenses related to mining, crushing, transportation, and distribution of the rock dust. The proximity of agricultural land to basalt quarries significantly impacts transportation costs, which can be a major factor in the overall cost of the process.

Comparison with Other Methods

Enhanced rock weathering is more expensive than afforestation and reforestation, which cost between $5 and $50 per tonne of CO₂. However, it offers additional benefits such as soil improvement and does not require dedicating land solely for carbon capture, as it can be applied to existing agricultural lands.

Basalt is one of the most abundant volcanic rocks on Earth, making it widely available for use in ERW. This abundance, coupled with the ability to apply basalt to existing croplands, supports the scalability of this method

Sources: physicsworld.com, frontierskin.org, energymonitor.ai

Examples

1. Pilot Programs on Agricultural Land: Lithos Carbon has conducted pilot programs across more than 1,000 acres of farmland. These programs focus on applying basalt rock dust to different types of crops and soils to measure the carbon sequestration potential and the impact on crop yields. The results have shown promising increases in soil health and productivity while effectively capturing CO₂ from the atmosphere.

2. Partnerships with Farmers: One of the key aspects of Lithos Carbon’s approach is its close collaboration with farmers. Farmers involved in these projects have reported improvements in crop resilience, better soil quality, and additional income from carbon credits. This collaborative model is designed to be scalable, allowing for the potential expansion to more farms in the future.

3. Corporate Collaborations: Lithos Carbon has also partnered with major corporations to sell carbon credits generated from their ERW projects. These partnerships help fund the deployment of basalt on farmlands and provide a reliable revenue stream for both Lithos and the participating farmers.

Awards

The company recently won the General Excellence Award as part of Fast Company's 2023 World Changing Ideas Awards. This award honours innovative projects addressing critical issues such as climate change, education, and technology.

Lithos Carbon was also a finalist in the Climate category and received honourable mentions in the Agriculture and North America categories.

Pricing

The pricing for these services and the associated carbon credits likely varies based on several factors, including the size of the land, the specific requirements of the soil and crops, and the market price of carbon credits at the time.

For exact pricing or a detailed quote, interested parties would need to contact Lithos Carbon directly through their website or by reaching out to their sales team.