Emirates News Agency – ADNOC partners with 44.01 to turn CO2 into rock

ABU DHABI, 17th January, 2023 (WAM) — ADNOC today announced a partnership with Fujairah Natural Resources Corporation, FNRC, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar), and 44.01 to trial A technique for permanently mineralizing carbon dioxide (CO2) in rock formations discovered in the Emirate of Fujairah.

The announcement was made during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW).

The project, which will begin in January 2023, will use 44.01’s Earthshot award-winning carbon capture and mineralization (CCM) technology to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This will be the first CCM project for an energy company in the Middle East.

Sophie Hildebrand, ADNOC Chief Technology Officer, said: “Across ADNOC, we are committed to finding new ways to decarbonize our operations while fulfilling our responsibility to provide vital energy to the world. As the first company in the region to operate as such a responsible Carbon Project, this pilot marks the latest step in our $15 billion investment in projects that will reduce our carbon footprint and help us reach our goal of net zero by 2050.”

Fujairah was chosen for the pilot project because of its abundance of peridotite, a rock that naturally reacts with carbon dioxide to mineralize it.

Muhammad Saif Al Afkham, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Fujairah Natural Resources Corporation, said: “We are proud to support ADNOC and our other partners in catalyzing this natural process with 44.01’s technology. Successes here can help us pave the way for a net UAE by 2050. Significant contribution to the zero strategic plan.”

In this pilot project, carbon dioxide will be captured from the air, dissolved in seawater, and then injected deep underground into peridotite formations, where it will mineralize – making sure it doesn’t escape back into the atmosphere.

Talal Hasan, founder and CEO of 44.01, said: “Removing CO2 from the atmosphere is critical if we are to halt and eventually reverse climate change. Unlike CO2 storage, mineralization permanently removes CO2 by turning it into rock, Thereby minimizing the need for long-term monitoring and insurance. This pilot will allow us to test our technology at scale to provide a safe, cost-effective, natural solution to the removal of captured CO2 internationally.”

The project will be powered by solar energy provided by Masdar. A successful pilot would open up the possibility of mineralizing billions of tonnes of captured CO2 across the region.