Stanford Researchers Develop Scalable Method to Accelerate Carbon Capture Using Common Minerals

A new process transforms silicates into reactive materials that rapidly remove and permanently store atmospheric CO2.

Stanford scientists have created a low-cost method to speed up the natural weathering process of silicates, enabling rapid carbon capture and storage.
The process uses kilns to convert magnesium silicates and calcium oxide into highly reactive materials that absorb CO2 from the atmosphere thousands of times faster than in nature.
This approach could be scaled up using abundant minerals like olivine and serpentine, including mining waste, to produce billions of tons of reactive materials annually.
The researchers are exploring applications such as spreading these materials over agricultural soil, which could improve soil health, crop yields, and oceanic carbon storage.
The method is estimated to use less than half the energy of leading direct air capture technologies and could be further optimized with electric-powered kilns.