Methods for carbon dioxide removalEnhanced (rock) weathering (ERW)
About the method
Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) accelerates the natural process of mineral weathering to bind CO₂. Finely crushed silicate rock such as basalt is spread on the land, where it reacts with rainwater to form stable carbonate minerals. This method binds CO₂ and improves soil fertility, making it a scalable and environmentally friendly approach. Industrial by-products such as slag from iron and steel production can be used as an alternative to rock flour as a feedstock.
Properties
- Location
- Country
- Sequestration mechanism
- Geochemical
- Carbon storage pool
- Minerals
Qualitative comparison
- Duration of storage
- high
- Potential
- medium-high
- Technology maturity
- low-medium
- Cost efficiency
- medium
- Co-benefits
- medium
"With our basalt flour, we can permanently store CO₂ from the atmosphere in the soil. When applied to the fields, the basalt meal also has fertilizing properties and therefore promotes plant growth."
