5 Things to Know About Carbon Mineralization

Carbon mineralization is a carbon dioxide removal (CDR) process that accelerates the reaction between CO2 and alkaline minerals in mafic or ultramafic rocks to create solid carbonates. The document outlines in-situ (subsurface) and ex-situ (surface) approaches, noting that while the process can permanently sequester CO2 and offer co-benefits like strengthening concrete or reducing ocean acidification, it faces challenges including high energy requirements for mining and grinding, potential heavy metal contamination, and a lack of standardized measurement and monitoring protocols.

• Carbon mineralization is a process where CO2 reacts with alkaline minerals in mafic or ultramafic rocks—such as basalts and peridotites—to form solid carbonates that permanently sequester carbon. Naturally, this process removes approximately 0.3 billion metric tons of CO2 annually.
• With sufficient investment in research and testing, scientists estimate that accelerated carbon mineralization could remove up to 1 gigaton of CO2 per year globally by 2035, increasing to 10 gigatons per year by 2050.
• Carbon mineralization occurs via two primary pathways: in-situ (subsurface), which involves injecting CO2 into reactive rock formations like basalts, and ex-situ (surface), which uses crushed alkaline feedstocks such as mined rocks, mine tailings, or industrial waste.
• The process offers several co-benefits, including the production of stronger concrete with less cement, the extraction of critical minerals like nickel and cobalt from mine tailings, the neutralization of toxic asbestos tailings, and the reduction of local ocean acidification.
• Scaling carbon mineralization presents environmental and social risks, including the potential release of toxic metals like nickel and chromium into soils or oceans, high water consumption for certain in-situ methods, induced seismic activity, and the energy-intensive nature of mining and grinding alkaline materials.
• Widespread deployment is currently hindered by a lack of standardized measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) protocols, as well as outdated geological mapping, such as USGS data on mines that has not been updated in ten years.

APA

World Resources Institute (2023). 5 Things to Know About Carbon Mineralization. https://www.wri.org/insights/carbon-mineralization-carbon-removal

Chicago

World Resources Institute. 5 Things to Know About Carbon Mineralization. 2023. https://www.wri.org/insights/carbon-mineralization-carbon-removal.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=5 Things to Know About Carbon Mineralization |date=22 June 2023 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/carbon-mineralization-carbon-removal |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2023things, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{5 Things to Know About Carbon Mineralization}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2023}, month = jun, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/carbon-mineralization-carbon-removal}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }