A University scientist has played a key role in helping a company, which eliminates CO2 out of our atmosphere by turning it into rock, being named the winner of the 2022 Earthshot prize in the Fix our Climate category.
Juerg Matter, Professor of Geoengineering and Carbon Management, has been researching natural carbonatization of peridotite rocks since the early 2000s. His work attracted climate change champion Talal Hasan and together, they formed 44.01, to develop a way of speeding up this natural process and get more CO2 out of our atmosphere.
Unlike carbon ‘storage’, which involves burying CO2 underground in disused oil-wells or aquifers, mineralisation removes CO2 forever. Mineralisation can therefore offer a carbon removal solution that is safe, cost-effective and permanent.
Juerg is a scientific advisor for 44.01 and leads the subsurface team responsible for the development of the reservoir of peridotite rocks used to mineralise the CO2. By 2040, 44.01 aspires to have removed 1 billion tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere.
44.01 was announced the winner of the Fix our Climate category by HRH Prince William, who founded the Earthshot Prize with the Royal Foundation in 2020, at a ceremony in Boston, USA, on Friday 2 December.
The prize is judged by an international council which includes leaders from the fields of business, philanthropy, science and entertainment. The panel looks for tested, scalable solutions that can help repair the climate and prevent further harm. Each category winner will receive £1m.
Juerg said: “Winning the Earthshot prize is incredible and an unbelievable achievement for the 44.01 team. We are all very excited and full of gratitude to the Earthshot Prize Organisation.
“Removing CO2 from the atmosphere will be critical if we are to avoid the most disastrous effects of climate change, and we believe peridotite mineralisation can offer a safe, permanent cost-effective means of eliminating CO2 once it has been captured. Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far, and we look forward to working with Earthshot to scale our technology internationally.”
