Current Grants

Carbizon (www.uantwerpen.be/en/staff/harun-niron_23841/research/ ) is a Belgian startup project based at the University of Antwerp. It proposes a high-intensity enhanced rock weathering (ERW) two-year field test in Muranga’a County in central Kenya. The project, to be carried out on a test farm, will integrate crushed basalt with biochar and organic matter to create a functional soil building system while simultaneously quantifying durable inorganic carbon removal through accelerated silicate weathering. Unlike conventional ERW approaches that apply relatively small quantities of silicate rock to existing cropland, Carbizon’s approach applies the mineral feedstocks at much higher intensities, thus testing ERW not as a marginal soil amendment but as the primary soil building and carbon removal mechanism. CIEIF’s funding will support a detailed environmental impact assessment of this technique utilizing independent consultants, as well as supporting impact modeling and a Life Cycle Assessment by Carbizon’s team. It also will support stakeholder outreach, engaging closely with Kenyan farming organizations.

Hourglass Climate (hourglassclimate.org) is a U.S. non-profit organization dedicated to independent science for the responsible development of marine carbon dioxide removal. CIEIF’s grant will aid Hourglass’s development of a potential field test to evaluate the carbon removal efficiency and environmental safety of mineral-based Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) in New Zealand. The project would involve the nearshore release of approximately 2,000 tons of finely ground, locally-sourced rock. The mineral particles would dissolve, increasing seawater alkalinity and thereby enhancing the ocean’s capacity to absorb atmospheric CO₂ through air–sea gas exchange. The field test would provide stakeholders with transparent, accessible information about the safety and efficacy of nearshore OAE as well as generate the critical empirical data needed to advance novel measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) techniques and inform the potential for scaling this technology. CIEIF’s funding will primarily support ecotoxicological testing of potential impacts on culturally and commercially important marine species, as well as extensive outreach and engagement with New Zealand stakeholders which is critical for assessing the overall viability of, and next steps for, the proposed trial.

Institute for Glacier Stewardship (IFGS;  www.icepreservation.org), is a U.S. based nonprofit group focused on potential interventions in glaciers aimed at slowing their global warming-driven melting and the resulting sea level rise. The ultimate goal, several years at least away, will be Antarctica’s glaciers, but IFGS first proposes undertaking a pilot before scaling to the harshest environment on Earth. Yakutat, Alaska is that pilot. The marine-terminating Hubbard-Valerie Glacier System right now faces warm ocean water, increased meltwater flux, and accelerating retreat. It provides a glimpse into the climate conditions that higher-latitude systems will face in the coming decades, but at a scale where instrumentation, iteration, and community partnership are immediately feasible. Funding provided by CIEIF will support an independent environmental impact assessment of the proposed basal anchoring intervention — the removing of subglacial water to increase basal friction and slow glacier flow. It also will help IFGS pay for equipment, travel, and site inspection needs. Plus, the grant will support outreach workshops with local indigenous groups.

Acacia Impact Innovation (acacia-ii.com) and HighTechXL (www.hightechxl.com) are, respectively, a Dutch company and a Dutch deep-tech accelerator program working jointly on a technological innovation to achieve large-scale removal of atmospheric methane. They are collaborating with Prof. Matthew Johnson of the University of Copenhagen to investigate a chlorine-based atmospheric methane removal technique using ship plumes as a distinct and attractive reactor class. The advantage of a plume-based approach is that it acts locally and within a limited time (hours), while it is still capable of entraining and processing large air volumes. Compared to other open-air methane removal approaches, they propose that plume-based reactors will be superior in having low environmental impacts that can be controlled, assessed and monitored, and can keep chlorine concentrations within safety limits, even close to the ship’s stack. CIEIF funding will allow the team to conduct expert impact modeling for a hypothetical field test and to obtain a detailed simulation of environmental impacts, as well as to initiate outreach to potentially-impacted stakeholders. The results will then inform them on whether actual field testing is desirable and feasible. Learn more about CIEIF's grant...

Global Ocean Health (www.globaloceanhealth.org ) is a U.S. NGO based in Washington State that is leading stakeholder outreach and social impact assessment on behalf of marine science researchers working within the consortium Exploring Ocean Iron Solutions (ExOIS, oceaniron.org), based at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. ExOIS is seeking to comprehensively assess the CO2 sequestration technique known as ocean iron fertilization (OIF) in the North Pacific. CIEIF's grant to Global Ocean Health will enable it to: 1) conduct initial mapping of regional rights-holders, ocean users, and fishing communities that may have concerns about potential effects of ExOIS's future OIF field experiments and any potential deployment of OIF in the region; 2) lead the engagement with those fishing communities that rely on species and resources that could be affected by the field tests or future OIF deployments; 3) convene North Pacific fisheries leaders as a panel of “citizen experts,” with the purpose of building their knowledge via scenario-based investigation to assess risks, benefits, and management options; and 4) prepare findings and further social research recommendations for peer-reviewed publication. To carry this out, GOH is partnering with the Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal at American University in Washington, DC. Learn more about CIEIF's grant...

SeaO2 (www.seao2.com) is a Netherlands-based company developing new technologies to achieve scalable marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) through Direct Ocean Carbon Capture (DOCC). SeaO2 proposes Europe's first commercially-developed, standalone DOCC field test, in Scheveningen Harbor. CIEIF funding will enhance environmental impact assessment, predictive modeling, and stakeholder engagement in that setting. Results from this small test will set the stage for a potential larger North Sea field test by SeaO2 aimed at validating the technology’s gigatonne-scale climate potential. Learn more about CIEIF's grant...

Frost Methane (http://www.frostmethane.com/) intends to understand the broader environmental effects of installing its “cover-and-flare” systems on livestock farm manure ponds, beyond just methane mitigation. These effects may include production of NOx in the biogas flaring process, reductions in N2O and NH3 emissions from manure resulting from covering manure ponds, manure nitrogen content changes, and changes in farmer manure management practices as a result of the cover-and-flare system. Developing a comprehensive understanding of the on-farm environmental impacts will enable quantification of the co-benefits and potential risks of this novel technology for farmers and for rural areas more broadly. An EIA conducted on one or more of Frost Methane’s current cover-and-flare deployment field tests will support broader adoption of its technology across the hundreds of thousands of livestock farms with concentrated manure ponds globally. Learn more about CIEIF's grant...

ZeroEx (https://zeroex.com/en) is field-testing ERW in western Germany to assess the natural sink for carbon dioxide via silicate rock weathering. In ZeroEx’s case, crushed silicate rock similar to basalt (available from local mines) is spread over agricultural lands, which also enhances soil fertility. While ZeroEx operates within stringent EU guidelines, the environmental risks of ERW more generally are poorly understood. ZeroEx will use the grant for a 3-year field trial to investigate any potentially toxic elements (PTE) resulting in plants, soil, and leachate samples. It will work closely with EIA experts who will independently assess the risks, if any, of PTEs from ZeroEx’s operations. The EIA will enable the safe deployment of ERW locally and, through publications of ZeroEx’s analyses, it could help guide ERW globally. Learn more about CIEIF's grant...

Bluemethane (www.bluemethane.com) is a UK start-up aimed at harvesting methane from wastewater treatment plants and other aquatic sources. Its project will take place at the United Utilities wastewater treatment plant in southern England. It uses mechanical agitation of wastewater in a Bluemethane-developed machine called Harvey to extract the high-concentration methane so it can be recovered and used as biogas. CIEIF’s funding will enable a comprehensive EIA, including ongoing monitoring, covering all potential impacts of this technique. It does so under a detailed framework Bluemethane developed that will be applicable, with some adaptations, to other aquatic methane capture projects in the future. Learn more about CIEIF's grant...

(AR, arcticreflections.earth) is a Dutch start-up aimed at restoring Arctic ice. AR seeks to counter sea ice loss employing a technique known as ice thickening. The thickness of existing ice is increased during winter months by pumping seawater onto the surface. Thicker ice is expected to last longer during the following summer months and increase solar radiation reflection, thereby reducing warming. Learn more about CIEIF's grant...

Captura Corp. (capturacorp.com) is an American ocean carbon capture company. It has innovated an electrochemical technology for low-cost and scalable Direct Ocean Capture (DOC), which removes CO2 directly from seawater. The CO2-depleted seawater then is returned to the ocean with the regenerated capacity to absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere. Captura’s long-term goal is to remove CO2 at gigaton scale by leveraging the ocean’s natural ability to absorb and store atmospheric CO2. Learn more about CIEIF's grant...

International Biochar Initiative (IBI, biochar-international.org) is a global non-profit association working to scale biochar, which is a form of charcoal made from organic biomass, as a viable climate change solution and carbon removal technology. IBI has launched a project in Pakistan to assess how utilizing biochar can build resilience in Punjab province communities that are already at high risk from the impacts of climate change. Open burning of crop residues is common in Punjab and surrounding regions and it causes severe adverse effects on public health nationally. Learn more about CIEIF's grant...