CO2-removal News

Peer-reviewed Publications

Yip et al. (2026): Bacillus subtilis-mediated weathering of basalt revealed through sporulation

Christpher Yip, Kira Stonkevitch, Abigail Knecht, Philip D. Weyman, Tania Timmermann and Gonzalo A. Fuenzalida-Meriz, IN: CDRXiv, https://doi.org/10.70212/cdrxiv.2026480.v1

Silicate rock weathering is a naturally occurring process that provides a long-term sink for atmospheric CO₂, but its natural rates are too slow on human-relevant timescales to offset anthropogenic emissions. Microbial activity offers a potential mechanism for accelerating silicate mineral dissolution and subsequent CO₂ drawdown. Here, the authors investigated the role of Bacillus subtilis strains MP1 and MP2 in the weathering of basalt, a cation-bearing, silicate-rich rock. Incubation of basalt with MP1 or MP2 resulted in significantly increased levels of soluble calcium compared to uninoculated, abiotic controls.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Schiedung et al. (2026): Uncertainties of enhanced rock weathering for climate-change mitigation

Marcus Schiedung, Kirsty J. Harrington, Xavier Dupla, Benjamin Möller, Ennio Facq, Tim Sweere, Axel Don, Robert G. Hilton, Sebastian Doetterl and Jordon D. Hemingway, IN: Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-026-00761-7

Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) on agricultural soils is under consideration as a long-term carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy. In this Perspective, the authors evaluate uncertainties related to ERW around feedstock availability, plant–soil system impacts, CDR efficiency along the land–ocean continuum and socio-economic considerations.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Kır (2026): Biochar engineering and life-cycle performance of biochar–BECCS systems for carbon dioxide removal

Ali Bertan Kır, IN: Middle East Technical University, https://open.metu.edu.tr/handle/11511/118491

Climate change is driven by the accumulation of greenhouse gases, so alongside rapid CO₂ emission reductions, carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is increasingly needed, and biomass offers a strategic pathway by converting photosynthetically fixed carbon into useful products and energy while enabling net CO₂ removal. Building on this biomass utilization perspective, this thesis bridges sustainable materials science and system-level CDR assessment by first producing and engineering advanced biomass-derived carbon materials (biochar) through one-step impregnation and pyrolysis, and then evaluating biochar as a standardized carbon product within a high-level, integrated biochar (BC) – BECCS (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage) framework (BC+CCS), leveraging the fact that both technologies rely on the same biomass feedstock supply chains.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Kroeger et al. (2026): Analyzing Co-Benefits and Rock Sourcing in Life Cycle and Techno-Economic Assessment of Enhanced Rock Weathering

Jennifer Kroeger, Bingquan Zhang, Noah Planavsky and Yuan Yao, IN: Environmental Science & Technology, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.5c14334

Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy that stores atmospheric CO₂ permanently in carbonates. Recent ERW literature has highlighted potential co-benefits from cropland ERW application, including reduced fertilizer requirements and soil N₂O emissions. However, contributions of co-benefits to life cycle environmental impacts remain poorly understood, and methodologies for integrating them into environmental and cost assessments are lacking. The authors address these research gaps by integrating co-benefits into a coupled life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis to quantify environmental impacts and costs of ERW with and without co-benefits.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

He et al. (2026): Temporary carbon dioxide removal to offset short-lived climate forcers

Yue He, Keywan Riahi, Matthew J. Gidden, Shilong Piao, Tao Wang, Thomas Gasser, IN: ResearchSquare, https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8806497/v1

The growing interest in temporary carbon dioxide removal (CDR) reflects concerns over the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of permanent solutions. However, efforts to integrate temporary CDR into climate policies have relied on flawed equivalency assumptions between temporary and permanent CDR that contradict physical climate science: temporary CDR cannot fully offset CO₂ emissions as permanent CDR can. Instead, the authors demonstrate that temporary CDR provides an effective mechanism for compensating non-CO₂ climate forcers.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Lazorenko et al. (2026): Enhanced mineral weathering as a carbon sequestration tool in the mining sector: Current and future field trials and experiments

Georgy Lazorenko, Alexander Kruglikov, Anton Kasprzhitskii, IN: Separation and Purification Technology, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2026.137267

Enhanced mineral weathering (EMW) has emerged as a promising carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy, leveraging the natural dissolution of silicate minerals to sequester atmospheric CO₂. The mining sector, with its abundant production of reactive tailings and waste materials, presents a unique opportunity for large scale EMW implementation. This perspective compiles and discusses evidence from recent field experiments on surficial accelerated weathering and mineralization at mines, evaluates controls on kinetics (mineralogy, grain size, hydrology, etc.), and maps near term opportunities for deployment at industrial sites. These insights are integrated into a practical framework that favors low energy approaches, identifies key barriers, and sets a research agenda centered on process integration, life cycle assessment, and cost optimization.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Heß et al. (2026): Carbon dioxide capture from air in buildings – Design and techno-economic feasibility of practical systems

Dominik Heß, Michael Rubin, Roland Dittmeyer, IN: Journal of CO₂ Utilization, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103351

Direct Air Capture (DAC) is needed alongside other CO₂ removal methods to ensure that the total amount of CO₂ required is removed from the atmosphere so that global warming can be limited to below 2 °. While large-scale DAC farms are a promising solution, their high CAPEX and OPEX, along with societal concerns, may hinder widespread deployment. This study presents a novel, modular DAC concept designed for integration into heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems of buildings.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Böttcher et al. (2026): Too many losses and too few gains: declining forest-sector Carbon Dioxide Removals in Europe’s GHG accounts

Hannes Böttcher, Anna Repo, Mikko Peltoniemi, Olli-Pekka Tikkasalo, Aleksi Lehtonen, IN: Research Square, https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8852965/v1

European forests are considered crucial to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The effectiveness of forests and harvested wood products in generating carbon dioxide removals (CDR) is currently debated. Greenhouse gas inventories (GHGIs) are the most important means for assessing compliance with climate goals. The authors analysed the GHGI submissions of 22 EU Member States, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK to the UNFCCC to track the historical development of forest tree biomass and harvested wood product pools.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Nature – Refaie et al. (2026): Comparative assessment of United States coastal hubs for large scale electrochemical marine carbon dioxide removal

Abdelrahman Refaie, Mohsen Afshari, Vanessa Tapia, Erika La Plante, David Jassby, Gaurav Sant & Mim Rahimi, IN: Communications Sustainability, https://doi.org/10.1038/s44458-026-00035-9

Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is essential to meet climate targets and limit global warming. Oceans already absorb a large share of carbon dioxide, and electrochemical methods can strengthen this process by treating seawater to increase its storage capacity. Here, the authors identify locations along the United States coastline that can support large-scale deployment of such systems. Thirty-eight facilities with seawater intake, including power plants, desalination plants, and liquefied natural gas terminals, are grouped into five hubs: Northeast, Southeast, South, West, and Northwest.

LINK

#
Peer-reviewed Publications

Huang et al. (2026): Regulation of Water-Soluble Salt Ions by Plantations to Enhance Carbon Sequestration in Coastal Saline-Alkali Soils

Kaiwen Huang, Jiajun Ou, Wenyi Zhou, Rui Tan, Xin Liu, Ke Huang, Jinling Wang, Jie Lin, IN: Land Degradation & Development, https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70501

Soil carbon stability is critical for global carbon balance and ecosystem sustainability. Coastal saline-alkali lands have great potential for carbon sequestration, yet the mechanisms by which water-soluble salt ions regulate soil carbon dynamics remain unclear. To elucidate this relationship, this study systematically evaluated the co-variations among water-soluble salt ion distribution, soil chemical properties, and carbon fractions within the 0–100 cm soil profile under different plantation types (Taxodium hybrid “Zhongshanshan”, Carya cathayensis, and Ulmus parvifolia) in coastal saline-alkali land. The objective was to reveal the regulatory mechanisms of salt ions on soil carbon processes.

LINK

#