Imagine farms, factories and footpaths hoovering up carbon
Be part of our vision
OUR MISSION
For two centuries, we’ve transferred carbon from the Earth’s crust to the sky
It’s time to reverse that
The carbon once held in coal, oil and gas has created a planetary blanket of heat. We must drastically slash our use of fossil fuels.
To protect our children's future, we can also pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and store it.
What we're doing
For a greener world, we'll focus on three types of carbon removal particularly well suited to Aotearoa New Zealand.
Trees do a fantastic job at capturing carbon and storing it as wood, at least for a few decades. We’ll harness this natural ability in two out of the three technologies we’re investigating:
Bio-boosted geothermal. After piping up hot steam, geothermal power plants send condensed water back underground. Our plan is to combust wood waste to generate more electricity. This boiler will also produce a nearly pure source of carbon dioxide, which we'll mix into the fluid that is sent down the well and into the Earth – a process known as “BECCS”.
Greener concrete. The ash from burning this wood could then replace some cement, which is responsible for plenty of greenhouse gas. We’re looking for the ideal conditions that enable this ash to draw more carbon from the air and transform it in a cement-like, carbon-negative building material.
Minerals found in New Zealand rock can, in wet conditions, pull carbon out of the air and bond with it. We're taking advantage of this natural geo-process for our third technology:
Enriching soils. These minerals will be crushed into powder and spread on paddocks and commercial forests, a process also known as “enhanced weathering”. Carbon dioxide, dissolved in rainwater, reacts to create bicarbonate. Eventually, the dissolved bicarbonates wash out to sea.
To make a meaningful difference, we'll need to accelerate the pace of this natural process. We're focused on measuring the rate of carbon absorption – not an easy task – and tracking the impacts on grass and tree growth plus the health of waterways.
We'll determine if this tech could store meaningful amounts of carbon, as well as being affordable, safe and environmentally friendly.
Who we are
We’re a team of researchers – engineers and soil scientists to legal academics and Mātauranga Māori scholars – from across the motu (nation) investigating how Kiwi companies large and small could pull a million tonnes of carbon dioxide out of the air.
Our research is funded by the NZ government until 2029.
OUR COLLABORATORS
Meet Our Partners
We've asked businesses and institutions for guidance on their areas of expertise, which will help us to make carbon removal a reality in Aotearoa New Zealand.
WAIKATO REGIONAL COUNCIL
CLARUS
MINISTRY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
FONTERRA
GENESIS ENERGY