LITHOS CARBON

XPRIZE TRACK
ROCKS

CDR PATHWAY(S)
Land - Agricultural & grassland CDR
Rocks - Ex-situ mineralization of mined rocks
Rocks - Mineralization of mine or industrial waste

PHYSICAL PRODUCTS
None

FOUNDED
2022

GET IN TOUCH

Lithos Carbon, Inc
San Francisco, CA, USA
www.lithoscarbon.com

Mary Yap
[email protected]

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Lithos Carbon accelerates Earth’s natural carbon cycle to permanently remove CO2 from the air. Leveraging a decade of research, we deploy enhanced rock weathering in agriculture while simultaneously improving crop yields and soil health for farmers. We provide farmers with organic-grade volcanic basalt dust and empirically measure each tonne of CO2 removed with state-of-the art science. Join our mission to decarbonize our food system, which is responsible for 25% of worldwide anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.

CORE INNOVATION

Lithos has carefully curated its feedstock sources, seeking superfine basalt that optimizes simultaneously for high carbon capture potential and low lifecycle emissions contribution. We’ve also pioneered an approach to MRV, historically a challenge in the ERW space. Lithos’s cost-effective empirical attribution was developed by our founding team (professors / collaborators at Yale and Georgia Tech) to operationalize redundant and cradle-to-grave MRV.

CO2 CAPTURE

Silicate rocks exposed to acidic rain will dissolve through a chemical weathering reaction, which simultaneously turns CO2 in the rain into stable bicarbonate. This slow but powerful biogeochemical process effectively “locks up‚“ carbon for tens of thousands of years, acting as a climate stabilizer. Lithos accelerates natural weathering by spreading fine basalt rock dust onto farmland. Very high porewater CO2 concentrations help the soil environment function as a powerful natural weathering reactor.

CO2 SEQUESTRATION

The dissolved bicarbonate formed through chemical weathering is transferred by rivers and streams to the coastal ocean, where it remains for thousands of years. Over time, the bicarbonate is biomineralized into calcium carbonate, which supports marine life and counteracts ocean acidification. Eventually, the calcium carbonate sinks to the ocean floor and becomes solid limestone.

CO-BENEFITS OR PRODUCTS

Basalt replaces liming, an essential aspect of farming to balance acidic soils. Unlike liming, basalt dissolution and pH control is complicated, so our technology creates a site-specific guide calibrated to local climatology and farm specific soil parameters. Basalt includes many micronutrients not present in limestone and releases a steady stream of these to a field as it dissolves. Our partner farmers benefit from significant benefits including drought and pest resistance, crop yield increases of up to 40%, and topsoil regeneration.