In the grand narrative of human history, the climate predicament we find ourselves in today tracks back to the Industrial Revolution. It marked a pivotal moment when the balance of carbon, once neatly stored in the Earth’s reservoirs, began to shift dramatically towards release into the atmosphere. This disruption has since thrown the intricate dance of our planet’s interconnected systems into disarray, setting the stage for a colossal environmental challenge. If only carbon removal was effective and scalable.
The clamor for reductions in carbon emissions has been a constant refrain, echoing through the halls of policy-making and environmental advocacy. Yet, the journey towards a carbon-neutral future is far from a straightforward path; it often entails short-term costs and is met with resistance. Even if every ambitious carbon reduction plan were to be successfully implemented, urgent action remains imperative to rectify the perturbed state of Planetary Boundaries.
This brings us to the pivotal realm of carbon removal—an arena with abundant discourse (read: debate) and even more abundant investment, as innovators desperately search for a deployable, scalable, and realistic solution. The IPCC AR6 Climate Change 2022 Mitigation of Climate Change Report makes it perfectly clear – global modelling has shown that to limit warming to 1.5°C with no or limited overshoot or even to 2°C, all mitigation pathways *must* contain CDR (Carbon Dioxide Removal). The Summary for Policy Makers goes so far as to say “The deployment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) to counterbalance hard-to-abate residual emissions is
unavoidable if net zero CO2 or GHG emissions are to be achieved.”
From Direct Air Capture to Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) at fossil fuel plants, and the optimization of kelp and algae, the pursuit of sustainable solutions for carbon removal is a tireless endeavor. Amidst this landscape, a groundbreaking startup, backed by none other than Bill Gates and his Breakthrough Energy Ventures fund, has emerged – enter, Graphyte.
What sets Graphyte apart is its ingenious fusion of nature with straightforward engineering to craft what they call “carbon casts.” Plants, through the impressive and elegant choreography of photosynthesis, naturally serve as fantastic carbon storage facilities. However, when a plant reaches the end of its life cycle or succumbs to flames, the stored carbon is released – some into the soil and some into the atmosphere. Graphyte has devised a method to prevent this carbon spillage. They obtain readily available biomass from timber and farming operations, subject it to a process of drying and compression, and neatly wrap it like a perfect present in a non-permeable, environmentally friendly barrier. The result: compact ‘bricks’ of densely packed plant matter, securely retaining stored carbon. These bricks, about the size of shoeboxes, are then buried in the depths of the earth, meticulously monitored with the expectation that they will safeguard the carbon within for over a millennium.
Graphyte’s process makes the whole solution even more compelling because of its efficiency – requiring minimal energy input, rapid execution, waste removal, and scalability. This is the real magic. Because all of this means that there is cost efficiency. Cost for carbon generally expensive. Statistica have recently reported that CCS (which is used at fossil fuel plants) can range between USD$15-$135/ton. DAC is more, between USD$100-$345/ton. Graphyte, however, are able to provide their bricks, consistently and already a USD$100 per ton. Let’s not forget that CCS technologies being used by fossil fuel plants have been repeatedly proven as ineffective. We’ve previously explored the vast brushstrokes of greenwashing being applied to these.
Another piece of genius is the use of waste. Much of the biomass utilised for the carbon bricks would otherwise be left to rot, releasing methane and carbon during the process. Graphyte are building a large facility, in Arkensas, where they will work with timber and farming operations to collect their by-product and waste materials.
Graphyte appears to have created quite the solution, marrying nature’s prowess with innovative engineering (though simple, as even one of their science advisors points out!) to confront the daunting challenge of carbon removal. As the world grapples with the urgency of climate action, Graphyte stands as a testament to the power of human ingenuity in harmonizing with, rather than disrupting, the natural world.
