First French enhanced rock weathering company launched

Quantum Commodity Intelligence – ClimeRock, a company that spreads basalt rock powder onto farming fields in order to remove carbon from the atmosphere, has launched its first pilot projects in France, co-founder Antoine Davy told Quantum on Friday.

The company is working on two pilots in Cantal, an agricultural region of France that contains many basalt quarries.

Enhanced weathering, also commonly referred to as enhanced rock weathering (ERW), involves spreading rock powders - such as basalt or olivine - on agricultural land to accelerate the natural carbonate-silicate cycle and permanently removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Several startups have been launched in the space, but they are located in the Netherlands, the UK, India and the US, and ClimeRock is the first French ERW specialist.

The company's first pilot field is located just 12 kilometres away from its partner basalt quarry, thus minimising CO2 emissions from transport.

The firm is currently focusing most of its work on measurements and proving the scientific rigour of its techniques, said Davy.

ClimeRock has already started looking into farming fields further out in France, which would involve transporting basalt by train or barge.

It is part of the Association Française pour les Émissions Négatives (AFEN), or the French Association for Carbon Removal, which was unveiled last week.

"It will really help the development of the carbon dioxide removal market and spread the knowledge on this subject in France," said Davy.