Eion’s CEO Ana Pavlovic joined The Sunday Times’ tech correspondent Danny Fortson to discuss enhanced rock weathering (ERW) on his “Danny in the Valley” podcast. Tune in for a rich conversation about the promising potential of ERW, Ana’s journey to Eion, and more. Listen below or wherever you get your podcasts, and be sure to check out our recap of the episode’s ah-ha moments below.
Podcast highlights:
- 4:06 – How enhanced rock weathering (ERW) harnesses the natural power of specific rocks to dramatically reduce the time it takes to remove CO2 from the atmosphere—from millennia to 5–10 years—offering a groundbreaking approach to mitigate global warming.
- 4:57 – On the different types of rocks that are used in ERW and how the mineral that Eion works with is tied to Hawaii and Norway.
- 7:03 – How ERW represents a hybrid between a natural CO2 removal solution and an engineered solution, positioning it as an excited, scalable solution in the carbon removal landscape.
- 8:10 – On tailoring ERW for diverse landscapes using customized “recipes” that optimize mineral surface area and composition for varied environments like farmlands, forests, and beaches, enhancing the efficiency of carbon removal.
- 10:52 – On the challenges of quantifying ERW’s impact and how Eion drew inspiration from nuclear contamination studies to develop a cutting-edge monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) approach.
- 14:25 – Where it gets fun! On the compelling benefits for farmers who integrate spreading these minerals into their agricultural practices, enhancing soil health and contributing to the global effort to combat climate change.
- 17:15 – On Eion’s strategy to eliminate 10 million tonnes of carbon annually by leveraging existing industrial scale and infrastructure, showcasing the scalable potential of ERW globally.
- 20:03 – On the hurdles of cost, the scarcity of industry data for model training, and the future key players expected to drive the widespread adoption of ERW solutions.
- 24:45 – On the challenges of measuring the intangible benefits of ERW, emphasizing the crucial role of data in building credibility and trust in this innovative approach.
- 28:00 – How Ana found her way to rocks via a security defense startup and large-scale data systems.
- 29:35 – How perfect land use modeling could incentivize landowners to adopt new, beneficial practices for their land and the environment.
- 32:56 – Why ERW represents a straightforward, one-time modification for farmers and ranchers that permanently removes carbon, making it an attractive and simple solution for agricultural adoption.
- 34:56 – How Eion’s collaboration with Stripe and other forward-thinking companies drives the ERW sector forward by connecting catalytic buyers and innovators in carbon removal.
- 40:11 – How there are enough minerals in the world to scale ERW and the challenging question of matching up the right rock, the right location, and the right deployment while minimizing emissions and cost.
Want to hear more from the team at Eion? Our cofounder and Chief Science Officer Elliot Chang sat down to discuss the importance of measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) for enhanced rock weathering, and the multitude of ways that Eion is building trust in our direct measurement approach. Read the interview>>