Why Big Tech Is Pouring Money Into Carbon Removal

Summary

The market for carbon removal is rapidly growing as companies innovate ways to capture and permanently store CO2 from the atmosphere. Leading tech companies like Stripe, Alphabet, and Shopify are investing heavily in startups developing various technologies for long-term carbon storage, including direct air capture and bio-oil injection. While trees help reduce CO2, scalable solutions like Climeworks and Charm Industrial are vital. Experts estimate that removing 10 billion tons of CO2 annually by 2050 is crucial to mitigating climate change, and diverse approaches will be needed to achieve this goal.

Takeaways

• 🌍 The carbon removal market is rapidly growing, with hundreds of millions being invested.
• 💼 Major tech companies like Stripe, Alphabet, Meta, and Shopify have committed nearly $1 billion in funding to carbon removal startups.
• 🌱 Experts say 10 billion tons of CO2 need to be removed annually by 2050, beyond emissions reductions.
• 🏭 Carbon removal involves storing CO2 permanently, unlike recycling it for temporary products like carbonated beverages or fuels.
• 🪨 Some companies are using methods like mineralizing CO2 in rocks or injecting it into concrete for permanent storage.
• 🚜 Charm Industrial converts plant residue into bio oil, which is injected underground for long-term storage.
• 🌊 Planetary Hydrogen is working on ocean-based carbon capture by neutralizing acidic CO2 in seawater, turning it into bicarbonate.
• 🌳 Simple methods like planting trees aren't enough due to space limitations; scalable tech-based solutions are required.
• 💰 Stripe, Shopify, and others are investing in carbon removal startups to accelerate development and reduce costs.
• 🇺🇸 Governments are supporting carbon removal, with the U.S. recently launching a $3.5 billion program to develop carbon capture hubs.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the carbon removal market?

The carbon removal market focuses on pulling carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and finding permanent storage solutions for it. This includes a wide array of technologies aimed at reducing atmospheric CO2 and mitigating climate change.

How much CO2 needs to be removed from the atmosphere annually by 2050, according to experts?

Experts estimate that 10 billion tons of CO2 need to be removed from the atmosphere every year by 2050 to avert the worst effects of climate change.

What distinguishes carbon removal from carbon capture in industrial processes?

Carbon removal refers to permanently taking legacy CO2 out of the atmosphere, while carbon capture is about preventing emissions from industrial processes (like capturing CO2 from smokestacks) and often using it for temporary products, such as carbonated beverages or plastics.

Which major companies have committed early-stage funding to carbon removal startups?

Companies like Stripe, Alphabet, Meta, and Shopify have committed nearly a billion dollars in early-stage funding to carbon removal startups.

What are some of the technological approaches for storing captured CO2?

Some approaches for storing captured CO2 include injecting it into rocks to mineralize it, turning it into bicarbonate in seawater, converting it into bio-oil and injecting it underground, and injecting CO2 into concrete to make it stronger.

Why isn't planting trees alone a sufficient solution for removing CO2 from the atmosphere?

Planting trees is not sufficient because the available land area is limited. Removing 10 billion tons of CO2 annually would require an area the size of Europe, which is not feasible.

How do direct air capture companies like Climeworks remove CO2 from the atmosphere?

Direct air capture companies like Climeworks use giant fans and chemical processes to capture CO2 from the air. They then work with partners like Carbfix to store the CO2 underground, where it mineralizes and becomes solid stone.

What is pyrolysis, and how does Charm Industrial use it for carbon removal?

Pyrolysis is the process of rapidly heating biomass to convert it into bio-oil. Charm Industrial uses this technique to transform carbon-rich plant material into bio-oil, which is then injected deep underground for long-term storage.

How does Planetary Hydrogen's ocean-based approach to carbon removal work?

Planetary Hydrogen adds a mild antacid derived from rocks to seawater, neutralizing the CO2 in the water. This increases the ocean's capacity to absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere and stores it as bicarbonate, which can last for 100,000 years.

What role do governments and carbon markets play in supporting carbon removal technologies?

Governments can support carbon removal by implementing carbon pricing schemes and tax incentives. Carbon markets, like those in Europe, Canada, and China, create demand for carbon removal, and there is growing interest in establishing such markets in the U.S.