The global popularity of climate projects based on enhanced rock weathering (enhanced rock weathering, ERW) is growing. More and more companies—such as Microsoft and British Airways—are signing agreements to purchase carbon credits (CCs) from ERW projects. But what’s driving buyers’ interest in these new and relatively expensive ERW CCs?
Climate projects involving rock weathering most often use types of alkaline materials with high reactivity (such as basalts, olivine rocks, carbonate rocks, ultramafics, and peridotites). The pulverized minerals are applied to agricultural soils, coastal zones (such as in the case of the startup Vesta), and other ecosystems.
The first studies exploring the use of this approach to generate carbon credits began appearing in the mid-2010s. Despite the simplicity of the CO₂ sequestration process, no carbon credits have yet been issued to the market, and existing projects remain in pilot stages. As of 2025, only one methodology is registered in the Puro.Earth registry (Enhanced Rock Weathering Methodology), and leading global registries such as Verra and Gold Standard either do not yet have such methodologies or are still developing them.
The limited adoption of such projects is due to three key factors:
First, ERW technology is still relatively new and has not yet gained widespread recognition or application in industry and science. Second, for ERW to be effectively implemented, certain conditions must be met—such as the availability of suitable materials and infrastructure. Third, while ERW is a promising technology for reducing CO₂ emissions, it may present certain challenges, such as the need to optimize processes and assess the environmental impacts of adding rock powder to soils.
Some of the minerals used—such as dunite—contain harmful substances like chromium and nickel, which may be released during the weathering process and contaminate soils. For this reason, researchers are increasingly focusing on basalt as a more sustainable option.
Nevertheless, ERW is considered one of the most promising climate technologies. While still in early commercialization stages, growing investment, an expanding number of pilot projects, and the development of methodologies and standards suggest that ERW could become an important part of the global solution portfolio for achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
Several leading developers have already attracted significant investment for their ERW projects:
Company |
Investment Size |
Investors |
Terradot (USA) |
$62.2M |
Kleiner Perkins, Floodgate & 15 others |
AIt Carbon (India) |
$12.5M |
Angel List, PointOne Capital & 6 others |
Eion (USA) |
$12M |
Ridgeline, AgFunder & 8 others |
Everest Carbon (USA) |
$3M |
Ponderosa Ventures, Carbon Removal Partners & 1 others |
InPlanet (Germany) |
$5.84M |
Salvia, Übermorgen Ventures & 5 others |
Heirloom(USA) |
$150M |
Ahren Innovation Capital, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Carbon Direct Capital, Lowercarbon Capital и MCJ Collective & 8 others |
For example, Indian CDR startup AIt Carbon raised $12 million in seed funding for its ERW project. This became the largest climate project funding round in India and one of the largest globally, highlighting the growing interest in ERW and increasing demand for carbon credits based on CO₂ removal.
“This approach is gaining traction due to its potential as a relatively simple and transparent carbon removal solution, along with the co-benefits it provides in agricultural settings—such as improved soil health and increased yields—while addressing climate change,” notes Alexey Mamedov, Head of the Climate Projects Group.