Roadmaps to Scalable Carbon Dioxide Removal by enhanced Silicate Weathering | RESET

The RESET project, funded by the BMFTR as part of the CDRterra (www.cdrterra.de) initiative, is conducting joint research at GFZ and RIFS into innovative approaches for the large-scale removal of CO2 from the atmosphere through enhanced silicate weathering (ESW). For millions of years, this natural geochemical process has permanently sequestered atmospheric CO2 in the ocean as limestone.

Scientific background

In order to achieve EU climate neutrality by 2050, unavoidable CO2 emissions must be additionally removed, in addition to a massive reduction of anthropogenic emissions. This requires CO2 removal of approximately 100 megatons per year in Germany alone. ESW uses finely ground silicate rock, which is spread on soil to permanently bind CO2 through chemical weathering.

Grapevine in the Palatinate, center: a soil borer
Grapevine in the Palatinate, center: a soil borer (Photo: D. Sachse)

How Enhanced Silicate Weathering (ESW) works

ESW utilizes the natural weathering of silicate rocks such as basalt, which react with CO2 from the atmosphere and bind it permanently. The rock is finely ground and spread on farmland, increasing the surface area and accelerating the reaction.

Weathering produces solutions that bind CO2 in the form of dissolved carbonates. These are transported to the ocean, where they are stored long-term as limestone. ESW thus offers a natural and promising method for CO2 removal. However, there are still many unknowns, such as how this method can be applied in the long term on agricultural land, for example, what its CO2 storage effect really is under natural conditions, and how long these processes take. We are investigating these questions in the RESET project.

Research focus

  • Development and validation of geochemical isotope proxies for quantifying CO2 removal
  • Long-term experiments (20–30 years) to investigate the effects of ESW on soil ecosystems
  • Investigation of the effects of rock flour on soil carbon and humus formation
  • Development of methods for monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of CDR performance
  • Analysis of social and political conditions for broad implementation and scaling

Team

  • 2026 - 2029

  • The project is funded as part of the CDRterra initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education, Research, and Technology (BMFTR), which develops scalable technologies for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

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