We track the progress of a carbon removal project through our certification framework. This roadmap moves from a preliminary assessment of eligibility toward full certification under the Puro Standard.
The facility has successfully completed the preliminary assessment conducted by the Puro team, meeting the minimum criteria for listing as a future supplier on Puro.earth.
The facility has passed the third-party facility audit, verifying compliance with the methodology, as well as output audit, verifying the net volume of removed carbon. The facility has been issued CORCs and continues its removal operations, as well as monitoring and reporting to Puro.earth.
Development status
We monitor a facility’s maturity as it moves toward industrial-scale operations. This status identifies whether a project is in development, under construction, or actively removing carbon from the atmosphere.
The feasibility study is ongoing. The Supplier is still collecting data to prove the concept.
The front-end engineering and design are ready and methodology compliant. There is a clear plan to monitor and measure. The LCA is up to the needed quality level or subject to small improvements. The technology has been used before. There are commercial agreements with the relevant business partners of the facility.
The facility is fully funded and is being implemented. Relevant infrastructure is being built.
The facility is operating as a carbon removal facility.
information
More about ZeroEx
ZeroEx stands for delivering highest quality carbon removal projects with a high aspiration for scientific integrity and supporting communities – the reason why we as a company focus exclusively on launching enhanced weathering projects set-up locally within the strictest regulatory frameworks in Germany and Central Europe.
The concept of enhanced weathering accelerates the natural weathering process of silicate rocks by spreading smaller fractions of rock, derived as a by-product from quarrying operations, on agricultural land, sequestering carbon in the process and geologically storing with a permanence of over 1,000+ years.
Enhanced weathering does not only help combat climate change by removing carbon from the atmosphere, but also delivers numerous co-benefits such as the natural remineralization of soils and the substitution of otherwise carbon intensive agricultural lime, deacidifying soils in the process. In consequence, farmers benefit both from resulting yield increases at no cost and financially– by spreading the rock only in direct vicinity of quarries in rural regions, ZeroEx directly supports local communities. By limiting the radius of operations to an average of 25km around the feedstock source, ZeroEx is able to work with a maximum efficiency while keeping project emissions low.
ZeroEx is the first operational project developer in Germany and deployed 12,000 tons of rock powder in a first pilot phase in 2023 focused on data generation using different feedstocks in five different regions of Germany. By continuously exploring high-quality feedstock sources and setting up a network of local collaborators for e.g. logistics and laboratory capacities, ZeroEx has secured potential for significant expansion over the next years.
By adapting latest protocols for MRV as well as planning research projects with proprietary MRV devices to contribute to the scientific community ZeroEx sets science first and allows for fast scaling of the method without any compromise on quality.
Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) offers several co-benefits beyond carbon sequestration, making it an appealing approach for both environmental sustainability and agricultural productivity.
Soil Health Improvement: Beside capturing carbon in the weathering process, silicate rock powders produce alkalinity during their dissolution, increasing the pH of acidic soils and thereby increasing nutrient availability. At the same time, the rock itself releases mineral nutrients such as phosphorus and potassium and trace elements relevant for plant growth such as boron or manganese. These nutrients are slowly released into the soil, providing a sustained nutrient supply. This gradual release reduces the necessity for frequent synthetic fertilizer applications. Additionally, the alkaline nature of the rock dust helps reducing and potentially substituting the need for traditional liming.
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Benefits: By improving soil health and structure, ERW can lead to more robust plant growth, which supports greater biodiversity both above and below the soil surface. Healthier plant systems can support a wider range of insects, birds, and microbial communities, enhancing overall ecosystem resilience.
Economic Advantages for Farmers: Farmers receive the rock dust at no cost and are compensated for its application and collaboration in the project by refinancing the project costs through the sale of CORCs. By substituting e.g. agricultural liming, further savings can be achieved. Furthermore, the improvement in soil quality can lead to better crop yields and, therefore, potentially higher incomes for farmers.
Local Economic Development: ERW supports local industries, such as mining and agriculture, by creating a demand for locally sourced rock dust, mostly an abundant by-product with limited economic value. This can lead to job creation in local communities involved in the mining, processing, and distribution of the rock dust. Moreover, by focusing on local value chains, the approach promotes regional economic development while reducing the carbon footprint associated with transporting materials over long distances.
sdgs
Sustainable development goals
Only listed sustainable development goals (SDGs) have been assessed according to the Puro standard SDG Assessment Requirements and validated and verified by a VVB.
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