Irish Technology for Mitigating Climate Change

Written by Connor Foster | November 5, 2023

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Irish technology startup Silicate is working on the front lines of the battle against climate change. It has recently announced expansion of its testing trials for new carbon removal techniques on farmland. This innovative technique requires distributing crushed concrete over agricultural fields where it will eventually dissolve into the soil and trigger the process of enhanced weathering. In simplified terms, this separates the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and traps it in the oceans or rivers in bicarbonate form where it can remain for over 80,000 years. Completed naturally, this process could take millions of years. The expedited nature of this new technology would greatly lower the amount of C02 emission on farms. Enhanced weathering can also have the ultimate effect of bettering soil health and overall productivity, which could provide astronomical benefits for food supply issues globally.

Thus far trials have been completed in Ireland near the company’s home city Silgo. However, in order to test the effectiveness on different types of soil, the new trials will be conducted on farmland in Buckingham, Illinois. The company plans on spreading 500 tons of concrete over 5 hectares of land. Silicate estimates that just this test alone could result in locking away 100 tons of carbon dioxide where it would hopefully remain sequestered for thousands of years. The project has already gained recognition from large corporations with much of its funding coming from the THRIVE/Shell Climate-Smart Agriculture challenge. If the project is successful and Silicate expands these practices further through the American Midwest, they are hopeful that 50-100 million tons of carbon dioxide can be locked away annually. Expansion of this project globally has the potential to significantly aid efforts to slow the rate of climate change.