Soil-boosting technology wins US$50m XPRIZE

Mati Carbon beats 1,300 teams to clinch grand prize for carbon removal

A US$50m prize for developing technology that removes CO2 from the atmosphere and oceans has been won by Mati Carbon (pictured below). Their free crushed rock helps smallholder farmers in Africa and India grow more crops from their soil.

Mati Carbon overcame more than 1,300 teams from 88 countries to win the XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition.

“We cannot stabilise our climate without sustainably and safely extracting carbon from our atmosphere and oceans at large scales,” said Anousheh Ansari, CEO of the XPRIZE.

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has said large-scale deployment of CO2 removal (CDR) technologies is unavoidable if net zero targets are to be achieved.

Ansari added: “The technologies developed by these winning teams represent hope with a broad range of approaches that are suitable for different geographies and can help the world reach net zero and ultimately reverse climate change.”

Mati Carbon’s solution hinges on the natural process of rock weathering. It applies pulverised basalt to the soil of smallholder farmers. As the basalt weathers, it absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere, and the weathering process releases nutrients from the rock which remineralise the soil. This works as an alternative fertiliser for farmers who may not have ready access to or cannot afford synthetic fertilisers. Mati Carbon says adding crushed basalt, which it provides free of charge, increases the average crop yield by 20%, boosting income for farmers.