Art by JULIJA SAVICK
WHAT IS
ENHANCED ROCK
WEATHERING?
Enhanced rock weathering is a term used to describe an inorganic chemical process that occurs when different forms of pulverized silicate rock, such as basalt, remove carbon dioxide from the air when applied to farmland, increasing soil productivity and health at the same time. (ERW) – starts with rain, which is usually slightly acidic from CO2 absorbed from the atmosphere.
The acidic rain reacts with the silicate rock, slowly breaking it down to form bicarbonate in soil water. Ultimately, this bicarbonate washes into the oceans, where the carbon is stored for hundreds of thousands of years. At scale, bicarbonate dissolved in water can have the added benefit of deacidifying the ocean and helping preserve vital marine ecosystems.
Carbon Gardener teams at universities
around the world will help answer a big question:
Can enhanced rock weathering remove billions of tons of carbon from the air across different soil conditions and help reverse climate change?
HOW CARBON GARDENER WORKS
START A TEST TEAM AT YOUR UNIVERSITY
BUILD A SMALL TEST GARDEN BED ON YOUR CAMPUS
APPLY ROCK DUST TO BEDS, CONDUCT REGULAR TESTS
REPORT TESTING DATA TO GLOBAL CARBON GARDENER PLATFORM