Industrial mineralisation company Arca has announced a new 10-year agreement with Microsoft to permanently remove nearly 300,000 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere by transforming mining waste into rock. Founded in 2021, the British Columbia-based company provides technology to accelerate the natural process of carbon mineralisation in alkaline industrial waste, effectively removing CO2 from the air and storing it for thousands of years.
Arca’s technology utilises high-intensity energy bursts to increase the reactivity of mine tailings. The activated feedstock is exposed to the air to initiate carbon mineralisation, and fresh feedstock is introduced once the surface layer is fully saturated with carbonated minerals to enhance and maximise carbon sequestration. The company employs remote-controlled rovers to churn the surface of the waste facility, exposing fresh rock to atmospheric CO2, as well as autonomous rovers to monitor and verify the rate and volume of carbon capture.
Arca has highlighted several key benefits of its carbon removal approach, including the abundance of industrial waste as feedstock, minimal energy, land, and water requirements allowing for easy integration into existing industrial sites, and long-term removal with robust monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV). The approach also reduces environmental risks, creates employment opportunities, and transforms waste liabilities for industrial companies and miners into assets.
Paul Needham, CEO of Arca, stated: “We have a unique opportunity to utilise one form of waste (mine tailings) to neutralise another (excess atmospheric CO2). The result is less waste and a healthier environment. This agreement with Microsoft validates Industrial Mineralisation as a viable pathway for durable carbon removal with the potential to scale and meaningfully contribute to global climate goals.”
This announcement is the latest in a series of large-scale carbon removal agreements by Microsoft, as part of the tech giant’s initiative to become carbon negative by 2030. Microsoft is one of the largest corporate buyers of carbon removal credits globally, with purchases nearing 31 million tonnes, according to carbon dioxide removals platform CDR.fyi.
Phil Goodman, Director of Microsoft’s Carbon Dioxide Removal Programme, commented: “This offtake agreement diversifies Microsoft’s carbon removal portfolio into a pathway that combines scalability and permanence. Arca brings notable scientific expertise and has proven they can sequester carbon through their demonstration project, giving us confidence to enter into a multi-year agreement. We are pleased to support Arca in advancing industrial mineralisation.”
