Carbon mineralisation pioneer 44.01 was last night named the winner of the 2022 Earthshot Prize, in the ‘Fix Our Climate’ category.
This is the latest vote of confidence in 44.01 and in the elimination of CO2 via peridotite mineralisation.
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. 44.01 has previously received recognition and support from, among others, the Musk Foundation via XPRIZE, Shopify and Stripe.
Founded by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in 2020, The Earthshot Prize is a global environmental prize to discover, accelerate, and scale ground-breaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet.
Inspired by President John F Kennedy’s Moonshot which united millions of people around the goal of reaching the moon, The Earthshot Prize aims to catalyse an Earthshot challenge to urgently encourage and scale innovative solutions that can help put the world firmly on a trajectory towards a stable climate, where communities, oceans, and biodiversity thrive in harmony by 2030.
The Earthshot Prize is judged by an international council that 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. The prize’s other categories are protecting and restoring nature, cleaning our air, reviving our oceans, and building a waste-free world.
Talal Hasan, 44.01’s Founder, and CEO, said “We are delighted to have been recognised by the Earthshot Prize. Mineralisation can offer a safe, cost-effective way of eliminating CO2 forever. Our challenge is to scale our solution internationally, and the Earthshot Prize will help us to do just that.”
Muscat-based 44.01 eliminates CO2 by turning it into rock, removing it from the atmosphere safely, efficiently, and permanently. 44.01 has already conducted successful pilots of its mineralisation process in the Sultanate of Oman.
In 2023, 44.01 will begin mineralising CO2 commercially. The company has ambitious aims to mineralise one billion tonnes of CO2 by 2040. As the world transitions to clean forms of energy, 44.01 is also providing new employment opportunities for engineers and geologists working in the fossil fuel industry.
Given Oman has one of the largest surficial deposits of peridotite in the world, carbon mineralisation could also be a boon for workers in the region and for the energy transition. By seeking to solve global problems, 44.01 is solving local ones too.
44.01, whose name refers to the molecular mass of carbon dioxide, eliminates CO2 by mineralising it in peridotite, a rock found in abundance in Oman as well as in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australasia.
Peridotite mineralisation is a natural process, which 44.01 accelerates by injecting carbonated fluid into seams of peridotite deep underground.
The Earthshot Prize aims to turn the current pessimism surrounding environmental issues into optimism, by championing inspiring leadership and helping to scale incredible cutting-edge solutions.
More than a Prize, it works in partnership with a Global Alliance of Partners to support the scaling of the solutions discovered and selected each year.