• Basalt, an industrial by-product from mining sites, is used to capture CO2.
• This partnership explores environmental science and agriculture, helping farmers enrich soil health and improve crop yields.

Lithos Carbon, a company specialising in crop yield and carbon removal, has partnered with Morin Ag Services, a Wisconsin-based agricultural company, to use crushed basalt on farmlands in Wisconsin to capture and store carbon dioxide (CO2).

Crushed basalt is used for this purpose because it has two benefits: carbon capture and soil improvement. It can capture CO2 from the air through enhanced rock weathering, a natural process that breaks down the rock over time, chemically binding CO2 and storing it in the soil for many decades.

READ MORE: What is Carbon Capture and Storage?

Basalt can also enrich the soil by adding nutrients such as magnesium and calcium, which helps with soil health and crop yield, combats droughts, and increases overall productivity.

Towards this end, the companies have collaborated by leveraging their expertise in their respective fields. SGI, a roofing granules manufacturer, will supply basalt, a by-product of their mining operations in Pembine, Wisconsin. Their crushed basalt has a high magnesium and calcium content, helping to capture CO2.

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The basalt is offered to farmers free of cost. It will be spread on farmlands in Pembine, particularly next to the mining sites; 1 tonne of CO2 is captured for every 3 tonnes of basalt used.

This technology is a win-win solution because it not only makes the soil healthier and helps in better yields but could also reduce CO2 levels in the atmosphere by permanently storing them for many years.

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Source: Carbon Herald