Bill Gates-Backed Startup Graphyte Develops Affordable Carbon Removal Technology

Using 'Carbon Casting', Graphyte Turns Plant Waste into Carbon Blocks for Underground Storage

Graphyte, a startup backed by Bill Gates' Breakthrough Energy Ventures, has developed a method to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by turning plant waste into carbon blocks and storing them underground.
The process, known as 'carbon casting', involves drying and sterilizing plant waste to prevent decomposition, then condensing it into dense carbon blocks which are wrapped in a proprietary polymer barrier to prevent re-release of the carbon.
Graphyte's method is projected to cost under $100 per ton of CO2 removed, significantly cheaper than existing carbon removal technologies, and requires a tenth of the energy of direct air capture.
The startup is building its first plant in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, with the first carbon blocks expected to be produced by January 2024. It aims to remove 5,000 tons of CO2 per year by the end of 2023, and 50,000 by July of 2024.
Challenges for the startup include securing enough buyers for its carbon removal services, gaining regulatory and community approval, and ensuring the carbon blocks remain buried and do not degrade or decompose, releasing the trapped CO2.