Shutting Down Alkali Earth

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After several years of research, operations, and field trials we've made the difficult decision to wind down Alkali Earth.

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Our team set out to unlock the carbon removal potential of industrial by-products like steel slag and recycled concrete fines. We believed that these overlooked materials could become powerful tools for climate impact. And while we made real progress in both passive ex-situ mineralization environments and engineered reactor experiments, our attempts ultimately proved difficult to commercialize. That said, we still believe deeply in the potential of industrial minerals as feedstocks for carbon dioxide removal. Over the course of our work we’ve significantly expanded our understanding of every facet of steel slag, including:

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• Operational processes at steel mills

• Counterfactual carbonation rates and scenarios

• The chemistry of steel slag weathering

• The challenges and opportunities of passive approaches

• The challenges and opportunities of engineered approaches

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Over the next few months, we’ll be publishing these learnings openly. Our hope is that they’ll be useful to the next team tackling this challenge and help move the field forward faster.

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We're incredibly proud of what we attempted, even if we didn't reach the outcome we hoped for. And we’re grateful to our partners, advisors, and the broader CDR community for the support, encouragement, and camaraderie along the way.

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The work of carbon removal is far from done. We’ll be cheering for those continuing the charge.

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– The Alkali Earth Team