 | | | | Links to recent scientific papers, web posts, upcoming events, job opportunities, podcasts, and event recordings, etc. on Carbon Dioxide Removal TechnologyJUMP TO SECTIONTHIS WEEK’S TOP CDR HIGHLIGHTSFunding Opportunity: The California Energy Commission (CEC) has opened up $11 million in funding for pre-commercial direct air capture projects, aiming to help scale technologies in the emerging carbon removal field. Application deadline: July 31, 2026 DAC Storage Milestone: Cella Mineral Storage and Octavia Carbon successfully completed an early-stage underground CO₂ injection test in Kenya. Though modest in scale at roughly half a ton of CO₂, the milestone represents the fourth known case globally of a direct air capture and storage (DACCS) system injecting captured carbon dioxide into geological formations. Opening of World’s Largest Carbon Removal Plant Delayed: Occidental Petroleum has delayed the opening of its Stratos project, set to become the world’s largest direct air carbon removal plant in Texas, after discovering a facility-related issue during commissioning. The company said construction is largely complete, but timelines for resolving the problem remain uncertain. The plant is designed to capture up to 500,000 tons of CO₂ annually, far exceeding current DAC capacity. Call for Consultations: Verra has opened a public consultation on its Methodology for Enhanced Forest Sequestration with Dynamic Baselines using Randomized Control Trials in the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) Program. The consultation will run from May 6 through June 8, 2026. CDR Offtake Deals Hit 5-month High Despite Microsoft Pause: The value of offtake deals in the carbon removal sector climbed to its highest level since December 2025 in April, reaching an estimated $233 million from 12 transactions. This surge represents an increase from $204 million in March 2026, driven by high-volume deals despite Microsoft pause, QC Intel reported. Alberta Launches $50M Innovation Call: Emissions Reduction Alberta has launched a $50M industrial innovation call, explicitly prioritizing industry-integrated carbon removal technologies. Funding of up to $10M per project is available, with applications due by June 17. Germany Opens €5B CCfD Round to CDR and CCS Projects for First Time: Germany has launched its 2026 round of Carbon Contracts for Difference (CCfDs), dedicating up to €5 billion to support industrial decarbonization, with CDR projects and CCS eligible for the first time. The tender for this round of funding is due to close on September 7, 2026. Research Paper: According to a new academic paper, a “carbon removal budget” (CRB) could help governments and companies avoid delaying climate action by quantifying how much CDR capacity is available. Read on to unpack more updates: This newsletter is free to read, but not free to produce. Please consider a paid subscription to support our independent reporting. Donate < $10 Get 20% off a group subscription COMMERCIAL NEWS Share RESEARCH PAPERSAuthors: Johannes Meyer Zu Drewer, Maria-Elena Vorrath, Thorben Amann, et al.Synopsis: This study examines combining Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) with Pyrogenic Carbon Capture and Storage (PyCCS) through co-application and co-pyrolysis of silicate rock powder and biochar. Results show that rock-enhanced biochar produced greater carbonate alkalinity and improved weathering performance compared to rock powder alone or simple co-applications. The findings suggest that integrating ERW with biochar could strengthen carbon dioxide removal, reduce biochar carbon losses, and provide additional agricultural benefits without negatively affecting plant growth.
Authors: Benjamin K. Sovacool, Nick Fitzpatrick, Livia Fritz, Lucilla LosiSynopsis: Through 98 expert interviews across academia, government, civil society, and industry, this study examines the major benefits and risks associated with CDR deployment in both Global North and Global South contexts. Covering Italy, Norway, United Kingdom, Brazil, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia, the research identifies key economic, political, ecological, and social trade-offs that could shape the equitable and sustainable scale-up of CDR techn
Authors: Christian Larbi Ayisi, Samuel Ayeh Osei, Adelaide Henewaa & Rosemary Anderson AkolaaSynopsis: This study explores the potential of aquaculture systems, particularly shellfish, seaweed, and Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA), to act as blue carbon sinks and participate in carbon credit markets. It highlights how aquaculture can sequester carbon through biological and sedimentary processes while examining requirements such as additionality, permanence, and measurability for market inclusion. The paper also discusses emerging tools like AI monitoring and blockchain, alongside challenges including verification costs, regulatory barriers, and uncertainties in carbon accounting.
Authors: Donald E. Martocello, Thomas Storwick, Carolyn BuchwaldSynopsis: As interest in durable CDR grows, macroalgae cultivation has emerged as a promising ocean-based carbon storage pathway. This perspective examines an industry-academic effort to develop a scientifically rigorous carbon credit methodology for seaweed-based CDR, highlighting the scientific, financial, and monitoring challenges that prevented completion. The authors argue that advancing scalable macroalgae CDR will require public investment, improved remote sensing, AI-enabled monitoring, and stronger methodological frameworks for carbon accounting.
Authors: James Jerden, Thomas Vanacore, Joanna CampeSynopsis: Drawing on 191 experimental and field observations, this review examines soil remineralization as an agroecological strategy for restoring degraded soils and improving food security. The findings show that finely ground silicate rock powders, especially when combined with organic matter, biochar, and microbial amendments, frequently enhance crop yields, nutrient uptake, soil structure, and carbon storage. The paper emphasizes that successful outcomes depend on mineralogy, biology, weathering dynamics, and careful management to avoid ecological risks linked to inappropriate rock use or excessive application.
Authors: Jiaying A Guo, Kerrie M Swadling, Robert F Strzepek, et al.Synopsis: Using a 14-day experiment with diatoms and Antarctic krill, this study assesses the ecological risks of steel slag-based OAE, a carbon dioxide removal approach that increases seawater alkalinity. Although slag-treated seawater elevated dissolved aluminum and manganese levels, researchers found limited metal accumulation and low biomagnification across the marine food chain. The results suggest that, under the tested conditions, steel slag leachate may pose relatively low risks to trophic metal transfer in Antarctic marine ecosystems.
Authors: Fabrice Pernet , Phillip Williamson , Frédéric GazeauSynopsis: Framed around the rapid expansion of marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR), this analysis evaluates whether bivalve aquaculture can legitimately be classified as a carbon removal strategy. It finds that bivalves are not net CO₂ sinks due to respiration and calcification processes, while ecosystem-level claims of enhanced carbon sequestration remain poorly evidenced and methodologically weak. The study concludes that bivalve farming lacks additionality, permanence, and robust MRV foundations, making it scientifically unjustified as a basis for carbon credits despite its value as a sustainable food production system.
Authors: Jiaxin Li, Wei Chen, Bo Li, Bo Yuan, Kuo YangSynopsis: Turning construction waste into a climate solution, this study develops a low-calcium clinker from high-silica waste concrete powder combined with hydrated cement paste and processed at 1150 °C. The resulting material forms a carbonate-binding structure during curing, achieving high compressive strength while enabling significant CO₂ uptake through carbonation. Life-cycle analysis indicates net-negative emissions, with carbon sequestration exceeding process emissions, demonstrating a circular pathway for producing structural building materials that function as long-term carbon sinks.
Authors: Linn J. Hoffmann, Lennart T. Bach, Kohen W. Bauer, Jessica Cross, et al.Synopsis: Through a globally distributed consultation of scientists across six regional nodes, this study explores how monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) frameworks for mCDR can be standardized and internationally accepted. It finds broad agreement on the importance of modeling-based MRV approaches, alongside regional differences in priorities such as the balance between local and global modeling needs. The results highlight both convergence and divergence in scientific perspectives, offering a foundation for more coherent and globally legitimate MRV systems for ocean-based carbon removal.
Authors: Youssef Elaouzy, Mustapha Soukri, Kumar Patchigolla, Abdulkarem I. Amhamed, Abdelghafour ZaaboutSynopsis: An integrated energy–carbon system combining a solar tower power plant (STPP), a solar chimney power plant (SCPP), and a DAC unit is assessed for its technical, economic, and climate performance. By utilizing waste heat from the STPP to reduce DAC energy demand and enhance SCPP output, the system is evaluated across multiple operational scenarios. Results indicate significant cost reductions in electricity production and substantial net CO₂ avoidance, with the most effective configurations relying on waste heat recovery and low-pressure steam for CO₂ desorption.
Authors: Mohsen Nasrollahi, Farzin Hosseinifard, Mohsen Salimi, Majid AmidpourSynopsis: A cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment evaluates a DAC system powered by photovoltaic (PV), parabolic trough (CSP-PTC), and solar tower (CSP-T) renewable energy configurations, comparing their energy use and environmental impacts per ton of CO₂ captured. Across modeled scenarios, all systems show similar performance, with PV offering slightly lower overall environmental burden and marginally reduced exergy demand. The analysis highlights potassium hydroxide as a key driver of resource use and finds that most environmental impacts are associated with human health, while overall differences between configurations remain small within LCA uncertainty ranges.
Authors: Novelia Triana, Takahiro Ota, Sunhee SukSynopsis: Focusing on community participation in forest carbon sequestration projects, this study analyzes how program design and perceived co-benefits influence local engagement among 231 households near a forest concession area. Using regression and structural equation modeling approaches, it finds that factors such as capacity building, environmental education, transparent communication, and participatory program management strongly shape willingness to participate. Material incentives alone are insufficient, with results emphasizing that procedural justice and long-term engagement structures are critical for the sustainability of nature-based climate mitigation initiatives.
Authors: Xinkai Wu, Hao Chen, Haibo Liu, Arup K. SenguptaSynopsis: Introducing a novel solid ion-exchange material, this study proposes a seawater-regenerated DAC system based on a decarbonizing hybrid anion exchanger (D-HAIX) for ambient CO₂ removal. The material demonstrates high capture capacity, long-term durability across hundreds of cycles, and regeneration via chloride–bicarbonate exchange using seawater without altering salinity or harming tested marine organisms. By avoiding energy-intensive thermal desorption and geological storage, the approach suggests a potentially scalable coastal DAC pathway that leverages the ocean as a carbon sink, expanding deployment options for countries lacking suitable subsurface storage.
Authors: Deeksha S.Synopsis: This paper proposes a Farmer–Corporate Carbon Institutional Model (FCCIM) to transform farmer-managed agroforestry systems into verified corporate carbon sinks through carbon credit generation. By integrating carbon measurement, reporting and verification (MRV), Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), and corporate procurement systems, the framework aims to support both corporate net-zero goals and rural income diversification. The study also presents financial simulations for agroforestry carbon revenues and discusses policy, governance, and risk management considerations for emerging carbon markets.
Authors: Monika Orlowski, Hannes Bluhm, Bernd HirschlSynopsis: Based on analysis of 39 pyrolysis plants across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, this study maps emerging business models for biochar carbon removal systems with energy co-production and identifies four main archetypes: integrated biomass utilizers, energy users, energy suppliers, and specialized operators. These models vary in scale, integration, and product focus, with heat production currently the most mature application. Future pathways point toward expanded roles in district heating, flexible electricity systems, bio-oil markets, and hydrogen production, but scaling remains dependent on technological advances and supportive policy frameworks.
Authors: Jacopo Bencini, Laura IozzelliSynopsis: Examining the proposed Carbon Removal Budget (CRB) concept, this policy analysis explores its potential institutionalisation across multilateral climate and biodiversity governance systems as well as corporate net-zero frameworks. Drawing parallels with the established Carbon Budget concept, it assesses opportunities and constraints within the UNFCCC, the UN Biodiversity Convention, and the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The study finds the UNFCCC to be the most promising venue for adoption, while highlighting emerging linkages through the Kunming–Montreal Framework and identifying the SBTi revision process as a key window for integrating CRB into corporate climate target setting.
Authors: Ms. Ruchi, Dr. Michael James Henehan, Dr. Patrick Frings, Ollie Laub et al.Synopsis: This study investigates the Middle Eocene Climate Optimum (MECO), a prolonged warming event marked by unusual carbon cycle behavior. Using the first silicon isotope records from the MECO, researchers find that Earth’s silicate weathering feedback remained relatively stable, challenging previous theories that weakened weathering drove the event. Instead, the study suggests that shifts in ocean circulation may have played a major role in sustaining warming and altering global carbon cycling through enhanced CO₂ outgassing, reverse weathering, and carbonate redistribution.
Simplified representation of carbon flows relating from bivalve aquaculture at the levels of organism, ecosystem, human system and the climate system (Source)WEB POSTSREPORTSUPCOMING EVENTSMay 2026June 2026We have curated a “Carbon Removal Events Calendar.” Explore and stay informed about upcoming events, conferences, and webinars on Carbon Dioxide Removal technology. Sync specific events / all events to your default calendar to ensure you never miss out on important CDR updates. Carbon Removal Events Calendar Add our Carbon Removal Events Calendar to your default calendar in 2 ways:Sync specific event: Click the event → menu (≡) → Share → choose your calendar → Save.Or sync all events: Menu (≡) → Preferences → iCalendar Feeds → Copy URL → Add to your calendar settings → Subscribe.JOB OPPORTUNITIES“Octavia Carbon is a fast-growing climate technology company building direct air capture and carbon storage solutions in Kenya. In just over three years, the company has scaled to around 75 employees and has become one of the few companies globally to both capture and permanently store CO₂.”
“AirCapture supply commercial and industrial customers with clean CO₂ captured from our atmosphere to radically improve the environment.”
“Groundwork BioAg is developing the biological solutions that boost crop productivity, sequester carbon, and revive soil health.”
“CERES-CERT AG is an ISO 17065 and 17029/14065 accredited certification body based in Switzerland. We provide national and international inspection and certification services in the fields of textiles, environment, and climate.”
“Vaulted is a waste management company that removes carbon.”
Carbon Direct’s mission is to enable organizations to reduce, remove, and utilize their emissions with carbon science.”
“UNDO is tackling the greatest challenge of our time: climate change. We are a fast-growing for-profit business that is already one of the biggest carbon removal companies in the world.”
“Yama is hiring a Pilot Engineer to operate our running Direct Air Capture pilot, drive process optimization and eventually coordinate the demonstration plant for our Low-Concentration Carbon Capture (LCCC) platform — capturing CO₂ from ambient air through to dilute gas-fired flue-gas streams.”
“At Absolute Climate, we’re building independent climate technology standards and quality assurance tools.”
“Loam Bio is on a mission to revolutionise agriculture and address climate change. Through our cutting-edge microbial technology, we are enhancing soil health, boosting crop yields, and sequestering carbon to create a sustainable future for farming.”
“Terradot’s mission is to stabilize Earth’s climate by transforming nature’s most powerful permanent carbon removal process into a global climate solution.”
“Charm Industrial’s mission is to return the atmosphere to 280 ppm CO₂. We convert excess inedible biomass into carbon-rich bio-oil and inject it into underground storage for permanent carbon removal.”
“Carbonfuture is building the trust infrastructure needed to scale durable carbon removal, a critical piece for us all to reach net zero.”
“Terraformation is committed to addressing climate change through the power of native forest restoration.”
Looking for your dream job in CDR? There are 578 jobs available *right now*: check them all out at: CDRjobs Board PODCASTS“Scaling carbon removal through existing supply chains, community-aligned infrastructure, and signing up JPMorgan in the process.Barclay Rogers is the founder and CEO of Graphyte, focused on low-cost, permanent carbon removal using biomass burial.Graphyte converts agricultural waste into dense carbon blocks and stores them underground, targeting sub-$100/ton durable carbon removal with high scalability.They’re backed by leading climate investors such as Prelude Ventures, Carbon Direct Capital, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and Overture.”
“I wrote two pieces for Rainbow earlier this year. The first argued that carbon markets need field engineers, not just scientists. Erica Dorr, Rainbow’s head of science, read it and pushed back: the binary was too clean, the caricatures too neat. I wrote a response piece about her work as a scientist applying her knowledge in carbon dioxide removal. Today I brought both subjects of those essays onto the show to hash it out together.What is science and what is engineering? It sounds like a question from your first week of college, but in carbon removal it maps directly onto how registries set requirements, how projects get certified, how you balance rigor with feasibility, and ultimately whether the whole system holds together or collapses under its own weight. Erica and Samara Vantil, one of Rainbow’s environmental engineers on the certification team, walked me through how these two disciplines actually interact on a daily basis at a working carbon registry.The conversation went somewhere I didn’t expect. The real tension isn’t between science and engineering at all. Those two are closer to each other than either is to the commercial side. The actual friction lives between the technical teams (science and engineering alike) and the commercial pressures of needing to ship credits, sign projects, and keep the lights on. And every decision about where to set a requirement, how many samples to demand, whether to accept a conservative discount or reject a project outright, sits right in that tension.We talked about Charm’s decision to reduce sampling, about whether quality discourse has become meaningless repetition, about the optimal number of travel deaths being non-zero, and about how you know whether you’re cutting scope for the right reasons or because you’re about to lose a deal. These are the questions that everyone in carbon markets faces and almost no one talks about publicly.”
“In this episode, Shribalaji Shenbagaraj, Senior Carbon Reporter of Argus, speaks with Kavin Kandaswamy, CEO of ProClime, to examine whether biochar can transition from a project‑by‑project removal solution into a credible, investable carbon market.”
YOUTUBE VIDEOSCharm Industrial - A Talk with the Godfather of Modern Pyrolysis | Charm Industrial “We recently hosted Dr. Robert Brown, godfather of modern pyrolysis, from Iowa State University for a site visit with engineers Jessica Brown, Joe Polin, and CEO Peter ReinhardtWhen you get people with this much expertise in the same place, the conversation quickly moves past theory and into the harder questions: what actually works, and what holds up at scale.”
How YORD AB delivers fossil fuel reduction, carbon removal & land regeneration | The BIP IT! podcast. “Meet YORD AB, a Swedish company that operates at the intersection of three critical sectors: energy, agriculture, and carbon management. Their mission is to tackle emissions at scale by transforming degraded lands into productive ecosystems while providing renewable energy solutions.”
New Global Emissions Projections: Scrapping the Highs & Lows with Detlef van Vuuren | Climate Chat “In this Climate Chat episode, hosts Leon Simons and Dan Miller interview climate scientist Detlef van Vuuren about his recent paper where he lays our new “emissions scenarios” that will be used by the IPCC to predict future global warming. Since future temperatures depend on our future greenhouse gas emissions, scientists need to use emission scenarios to predict future temperatures. Past scenarios included what some scientists felt were beyond the possible worst case emissions, as well as scenarios that assumed much less emissions than currently seems feasible. Detlef and his colleagues has set forth a set of scenarios that fall in the middle of past approaches.”
Carbon Confidential with Marisa Drew, Chief Sustainability Officer, Standard Chartered | CUR8 - Carbon Removals “Dr. Gabrielle Walker, Co-Founder and Chief Scientist at CUR8, sat down with Marisa Drew — one of the most consequential figures in sustainable finance today.Most sustainability leaders came to the field from the outside — from policy, academia, or activism. Marisa came from investment banking. After more than two decades in leveraged finance — first at Merrill Lynch, then at Credit Suisse where she ran EMEA Investment Banking and Capital Markets — she made a deliberate bet in 2017 that the tools of capital markets were exactly what sustainable finance was missing. She was right.”
Nuclear Energy and Carbon Dioxide Removal - AirMiners Events Series | AirMiners CDR fyi Exomad Green Market Learning Interview May 4 2026 | CDRfyi Engineered Biochar for Carbon Capture and Resource Recovery | NEW Community “As the global transition toward carbon neutrality accelerates, biochar-based materials are gaining increasing attention as sustainable solutions for carbon capture, energy storage, and environmental remediation. In this lecture, Prof. Wan Azlina presents recent advances in the design and valorization of biochar derived from agricultural and industrial residues, with a focus on structural engineering, surface chemistry, and hybridization with nanomaterials to enhance CO₂ adsorption and electrochemical performance.The talk also highlights case studies from ongoing research at Universiti Putra Malaysia, including the conversion of biomass waste into high-performance carbon materials for carbon capture, energy devices, and pollutant removal. In addition, Prof. Wan Azlina discusses the role of techno-economic assessment in optimizing production pathways and Malaysia’s contribution to the global Green-CCUS initiative.”
Carbon Dioxide Removal | HASP@Hope “Global warming is likely to exceed levels considered safe for natural ecosystems, even with aggressive reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Scenarios to avoid dangerous levels of warming now rely on a combination of carbon dioxide removal (trapping carbon from the atmosphere and permanently storing it underground) and solar radiation management (reflecting back a fraction of the sun’s energy). Mike Philben will explore the current state of these technologies, evaluate their potential for scaling up to a useful level, and discuss their potential risks and side effects.”
Better Soil with Natural Carbon Removal: A Yale Geochemist Explains | Future In Bloom | Future in Bloom with Steph Speirs “In this episode, Steph Speirs sits down with Dr. Noah Planavsky, a geochemist at Yale University and one of the world’s experts on enhanced rock weathering. They explore how crushing silicate rocks like basalt and spreading them on farmland can accelerate a natural process that pulls CO₂ from the atmosphere and locks it in the ocean for thousands of years. All this both improves soil health and boosts crop yields.Dr. Planavsky breaks down the science, explains why farmers already understand soil chemistry better than most academics, and makes the case that carbon removal should benefit the communities where it operates. He shares his choice to co-found two carbon removal companies and then walk away from any financial stake so he could advocate for transparency and sound science.”
Geological Carbon Storage Atlas of Eastern Canada: CO₂ Storage & Full CCS Value Chain Cost Modeling | Canadian Discovery Ltd. “CDL is pleased to announce the upcoming release of the Geological Carbon Storage Atlas of Eastern Canada. This work was undertaken with partial funding support from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), with additional support from carbon removal project developer Deep Sky, and in collaboration with NRCan CanmetENERGY. Canada’s federal Carbon Management Strategy identifies carbon management—including the capture, transportation, and permanent geological storage of CO₂—as critical to achieving its climate objectives, with a significant share of emissions requiring secure, long-term subsurface containment.”
Risks and opportunities of carbon dioxide removal | SenckenbergWorld “To limit climate change, reducing greenhouse gas emissions must be the top priority. However, to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality by mid-century, we will also need to permanently remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.Options for carbon dioxide removal range from established methods such as reforestation and agroforestry to marine approaches and technological solutions such as direct air capture (DAC).However, all of these options involve trade-offs and risks, including competition for land, additional energy demand, and potential negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functions. If carefully designed and governed, these approaches can also deliver co-benefits, such as enhanced ecosystem resilience and new income opportunities. This lecture provides an overview of the current state of carbon dioxide removal and discusses how to assess its risks and opportunities in order to develop a responsible portfolio of solutions.”
Public Consultation on Global Artisan C-Sink | Carbon Standards International AG “This session held by Luki Fathia, PM Global Artisan C-Sink and Patrizia Pschera, Chief Standard Officer at Carbon Standards International, walks you through key updates, methodological improvements, and their implications for carbon removal projects.”
Weekly Carbon Removal Updates from 04 May - 10 May 2026 | Carbon Removal Updates BulletinDEADLINESFollow us on:Twitter | Bluesky | LinkedIn | YouTube | Substack | Podcast 1 | Podcast 2
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