The Advanced Carbon Mineralization Initiative

To meet 1.5-2 degrees Celsius warming targets, society must develop carbon management technologies for the irreversible removal and storage of gigatons of CO2 from point sources and the atmosphere. The conversion of carbon dioxide into carbonate minerals, “CO2 mineralization,” can play a fundamental role in carbon management technologies, as it is thermodynamically favorable and scalable. However, the long timescales and poor predictability of CO2 mineralization impede widespread utilization. There is thus an urgent need to accelerate mineralization kinetics and capacity. We believe we can lay the foundations for enhanced mineralization technologies by developing and synthesizing mechanistic understanding from geology, chemistry, and biology. We propose the Advanced Carbon Mineralization Initiative, a cross-disciplinary effort to establish the basic science, technology, and economic framework to realize the full potential of CO2 mineralization.