Deploy Enhanced Rock Weathering

Enhanced rock weathering is identified as a scientifically sound carbon removal method that accelerates the natural breakdown of rocks like basalt and olivine to capture CO2. While it offers potential for large-scale deployment and soil improvement, it is currently deemed not ready for large-scale use due to high costs, unpredictable effectiveness, and complex monitoring requirements.

• Enhanced rock weathering is considered a promising carbon removal technique but is not yet ready for large-scale deployment because it does not consistently work and is not cheap.
• The process involves crushing rocks such as basalt, olivine, or limestone into small particles and applying them to beaches, the ocean, or croplands to react with atmospheric CO2 and produce bicarbonate ions.
• Major barriers to deployment include high costs, ranging from over US$200 to US$500 per tonne of CO2 removed, and the difficulty of accurately predicting and modeling carbon capture amounts due to variability in rock and soil types.
• Potential risks associated with the practice include the release of heavy metals such as chromium or nickel and other environmental justice and ecological concerns.

APA

Project Drawdown (2025). Deploy Enhanced Rock Weathering. https://drawdown.org/explorer/deploy-enhanced-rock-weathering

Chicago

Project Drawdown. Deploy Enhanced Rock Weathering. 2025. https://drawdown.org/explorer/deploy-enhanced-rock-weathering.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Project Drawdown |title=Deploy Enhanced Rock Weathering |date=15 April 2025 |url=https://drawdown.org/explorer/deploy-enhanced-rock-weathering |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{projectdrawdown2025deploy, author = {{Project Drawdown}}, title = {{Deploy Enhanced Rock Weathering}}, institution = {Project Drawdown}, year = {2025}, month = apr, url = {https://drawdown.org/explorer/deploy-enhanced-rock-weathering}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }