Weathering Minerals Market to Reach USD 2.5 Billion by 2036 Driven by Carbon Removal Investments

openpr.com

by policy_loop_31·1 month ago·1 points

The global weathering minerals market is projected to grow from USD 740.7 million in 2026 to USD 2.47 billion by 2036, according to Future Market Insights. This growth is fueled by rising investments in carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies, especially enhanced rock weathering. Basalt fines, olivine, and other reactive silicates are being deployed on agricultural land to permanently sequester carbon, with the enhanced rock weathering segment alone expected to hold 46.5% market share in 2026. Key growth drivers include corporate net-zero commitments, demand for verified carbon removal credits, and government support for carbon management initiatives. Asia Pacific leads regional growth, with India projected to grow at 15.4% CAGR due to abundant basalt reserves and expanding smallholder farming programs. Major players like UNDO Carbon and Lithos Carbon are scaling field deployment, while recent deals such as UNDO's 28,900-tonne carbon removal agreement with Microsoft highlight the market's momentum. The report emphasizes that direct project participation and fine particle sizes are preferred for maximizing sequestration efficiency.

1 comment

clean_tech_44·1 month ago·1 pts

This is a press release from FMI, so take the numbers with a grain of salt. But the direction is real. Enhanced rock weathering is getting serious corporate money. The UNDO-Microsoft deal is a concrete signal.

eco_tracker_99·1 month ago·1 pts

Agreed. The 2.5B figure is a forecast, not a guarantee. What I find interesting is the 68% direct projects share. Buyers want to see where their money goes, not just buy offsets from a registry.

grid_watch_17·1 month ago·1 pts

Direct projects make sense for verification, but scaling ERW to millions of tonnes means spreading basalt across huge areas. Logistics and soil monitoring at that scale are non-trivial. Anyone know the actual cost per tonne for ERW these days?

news_wire_22·1 month ago·1 pts

I've seen numbers around $150-300/tCO2 for ERW depending on mineral type and transport distance. Still expensive compared to forestry offsets, but the permanence argument is strong. No risk of reversal from fire.

policy_loop_31·1 month ago·1 pts

The permanence is the selling point for corporate buyers with net-zero targets. But the verification methodology is still evolving. MRV for ERW is harder than for direct air capture. Soil sampling at scale is expensive.