Project Vesta

the PLan

the Science

The Project

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The
Science

Introduction

conceptual Research

Enhanced Weathering

Mechanical Activation

Weathering Rates

Carbonation

Mining

Introduction

Project Vesta is a non-profit working to further the science of Coastal Enhanced Weathering (CEW).

We exist to enable critical CEW research to proceed, by combining the necessary funding and supporting logistics to the multidisciplinary scientific community with expertise in this field.

We are a team of scientists and entrepreneurs. We know any human intervention in the ocean carries risk. Our goal is to characterize the effects of CEW as accurately and robustly as we can, presenting our raw data for peer review and enabling the broader community to make a science-based judgment as to whether the benefits of CEW in removing carbon dioxide outweigh the costs and risks.

We are open to collaborators from all relevant fields of research. We are currently particularly seeking the following:

  • Additional expertise in beach geomorphology to model how olivine sand will be transported at the shoreline and in coastal areas
  • Facilities equipped to perform laboratory studies of coral and mollusc growth
  • Costal sites to conduct future in situ experiments

If you are a scientist with relevant expertise, especially the above, we invite you to join us as a collaborator. Click here to get involved.

We have included below a variety of papers and presentations which are a partial list of the research on which Project Vesta’s work is based.

Conceptual Research

The Conceptual Research For Accelerated Weathering Of Olivine In Tropical Shelf Seas That Inspired Project Vesta

Mitigation of CO₂ Emissions By Stimulated Natural Rock Weathering

Fast weathering of olivine in high-energy shallow seas.

This presentation also contributes to the logistical basis of our project. It starts out with the basic concepts and goes on to outline what the larger phases of costal olivine deployment might look like (our Phase IV is based on the numbers in this). It also addresses many common questions and common objections related to the deployment of large scale enhanced weathering. It also presents data from a flume experiment that further confirms the outsized effect that continuous motion has on accelerating the olivine weathering rate.

2015

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de Boer, P. L., & Schuiling, R. D.

Olivine against climate change and ocean acidification

This paper outlines the overall view of the full potential of olivine to fight climate change and ocean acidification. It lays out some of the fundamental information that underlies the conceptual framework and logic of accelerating Earth's natural longterm carbonate storage method by enhancing the weathering speed of silicate rocks. It also goes into some numbers on what the project might look like for global level anthropogenic CO₂ emissions removal.

2011

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Schuiling, R. D., & de Boer, P. L

Rolling Stones

fast weathering of olivine in shallow seas for cost-effective CO₂ capture and mitigation of global warming and ocean acidification

This paper, while concise, proposes the basic concepts Project Vesta is based on. It posits the simple formula (based on 2011 numbers) that a volume of 7 KM^3 of olivine on 2% of the world's tropical shelf seas could remove total yearly anthropogenic CO₂ emissions. A simple desktop shaker experiment detailed in this paper also demonstrates the counter-intuitive speed at which larger grains are able to weather rapidly due to their greater mass in collisions and from the effects of mechanical activation.

2011

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R. D. Schuiling and P. L. de Boer

Enhanced Weathering Processes

Research On Enhanced Weathering Processes

IPCC 1.5 Degree Report

Enhanced Weathering Section 4.3.7.4 of the Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Section of Chapter 4

The latest IPCC Report on limiting global warming to a 1.5 degrees increase has a section related to Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) (4.3.7) and an entire subsection related to Enhanced Weathering (4.3.7.4). While coastal weathering is mentioned, they also cite uncertainties and the need for verification by field experiments: "Agreement is low due to a variety of assumptions and unknown parameter ranges in the applied modeling procedures that would need to be verified by field experiments... Site-specific cost estimates vary depending on the chosen technology for rock grinding, material transport, and rock source." So here at Project Vesta, we are working to carry out a field experiment and have real-world weathering, mining, and transport data published and verified in time to be included in the next report. By utilizing tropical beaches to finely grind dunite rocks transported only from within 300 km of the beach, we believe this enhanced coastal weathering model is efficient and scalable enough to overcome any of the IPCC's concerns. We hope to provide the evidence that enhanced coastal weathering's total CDR potential and price point warrant it to be a major part of the future CDR strategery.

2019

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IPCC

Environmental life cycle assessment of CO₂ sequestration through enhanced weathering of olivine

A CO₂ life cycle assessment of olivine mining, milling, and transport to beaches within 300 Km of the mine. Using a similar model to Project Vesta (in terms of distance transported and olivine grain size), this analysis finds an approximately 95% efficiency, with only about 5% net CO₂ loss on CO₂ removed. Carried out in 2011, it is currently being updated to include additional scenarios, and to take into account modern, more efficient equipment and vehicles.

2011

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Koornneef, J., Nieuwlaar, E.

Mechanical Activation

Research On Mechanical Activation

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Natural Weathering Rates

Research On Weathering Rates

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Carbonation

Research On Carbonation

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Mining

Research On Mining

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Help reverse climate change by turning a trillion tonnes of CO2 into rock.

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