Keeling Curve

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Project Summary / Description:

Carbon To Stone was formed in 2022 to address the dual challenges of carbon dioxide removal, storage and finding sustainable uses for industrial alkaline residues. Foundational research was completed by Dr Greeshma Gadikota at Cornell University using grant funding from US DOE, ARPA-E and NSF. Further, this technology has been extensively validated at the bench-scale at Cornell University and patents filed with Cornell Technology Licensing are being exclusively licensed to Carbon To Stone. 
Our technology harnesses electrochemical dissolution to leach energy critical metals into the solution phase and precipitate high purity Ca- and Mg-hydroxide. In a reactive crystallization process, we capture CO2 from air using sodium glycinate as a solvent. This CO2-loaded solvent is then reacted with Ca- and Mg-hydroxide to precipitate Ca- and Mg-carbonate while regenerating the solvent for direct air capture of CO2. The produced carbonates are used as additives in construction materials by replacing Ordinary Portland cement.

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How Project Affects Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions:

Removes/stores GHGs (e.g., projects that capture, sequester, or otherwise enhance the "sinks" that accumulate and store GHGs)

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Impact on Underrepresented Groups:

A key industry stakeholder we are working with is Nucor Inc, an Iron and Steel manufacturer located in Auburn, NY which is within an hour‚ drive from Ithaca, NY. Given the stringent need to comply with EPA standards, Nucor is the only iron and steel making facility in NY. They have made significant investments in Auburn, NY and are among the leading employers in NY state. By co-locating our operating facility in collaboration with Nucor Inc., our aim in the long-term is to create a decarbonization hub that provides high skilled job opportunities to the local communities. 
The Finger Lakes Region which Ithaca and Auburn are located have low levels of participation of underrepresented minorities in emerging industry. This project will provide the impetus to unlock the community benefits that decarbonization solutions can offer. Nucor, Carbon to Stone, and Cornell University acknowledge that the land belongs to Cayuga Nation. By advancing technologies that limit the use of landfills and advance a sustainable climate, we are aligned with Cayuga Nation‚ mission of preserving our natural resources. As we expand the scale and scope of our operations, we will continue to engage with local and Native American communities to ensure that the technologies that are developed in a manner that are just and equitable for the current and future generations inhabiting this region.

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Mission Statement:

Carbon To Stone was launched in 2022 to commercialize carbon removal via direct air capture and mineralization technology developed at Cornell University. We were awarded $ 500,000 in carbon removal pre-purchases from Stripe and Shopify through Frontier Climate. We are working towards building our first pilot-scale facility for carbon removal in collaboration with Nucor‚ iron and steel making facility in Auburn, NY. We are also looking to launch pilot projects with integrated DAC, carbon mineralization, and metal recovery associated in collaboration with Novelis, secondary aluminum recycling company in NY.