Microsoft has signed a contract with carbon removal company Eion to deliver 8,000 tons of permanent carbon dioxide (CO2) removal over the next five years, marking a significant step in the tech giant’s sustainability initiatives. Eion’s innovative use of enhanced rock weathering (ERW) technology will deploy olivine, a naturally occurring mineral, on farmland in the Mid-Atlantic region after the fall harvest. This process helps capture carbon emissions while benefiting agricultural soils.
Eion’s method involves optimising olivine to weather quickly and absorb CO2, using its patented direct measurement process to ensure accurate verification. The system continuously monitors environmental conditions and tracks CO2 removal in real time, aligning with third-party standards and verifiers.
Eion’s CEO, Anastasia Pavlovic said, “A diverse coalition of stakeholders—from corporate offtakers to federal agencies—is increasingly investing in the promise of enhanced weathering. We’re excited to work with Microsoft to continue demonstrating the true potential of the category.”
Microsoft’s involvement highlights the growing corporate commitment to carbon removal technologies. “Eion’s verification methodology, continuous monitoring of environmental conditions, and established history of successfully delivering carbon removal makes them stand apart in ERW,” said Brian Marrs, Senior Director of Energy Markets at Microsoft.
The contract follows Eion’s recent $3 million in Series A extension funding from investors, including Growmark, AgFunder, Ridgeline, and others. This capital will be used to scale Eion’s operations and invest in further research and development. Through its partnership with Growmark, Eion will access millions of acres across the US, enabling large-scale deployment of its technology.
“Understanding the opportunity, we have to help make agriculture more sustainable drives us to support research and fund innovation through companies like Eion,” said Wade Mittelstadt, Growmark’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
Eion’s direct measurement process leverages existing soil sampling practices and standard lab equipment to maintain scientific rigor. Each soil sample is analysed for trace elements like nickel and chromium, which are naturally present in agricultural soils. The company benchmarks these results against safety guardrails informed by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data, ensuring responsible land management and building trust with farmers and rural communities.
The partnership with Microsoft builds on Eion’s recent achievements, including its role as the first enhanced weathering solution to deliver CO2 removal to Stripe in 2023. Eion also secured access to 500,000 tons of olivine annually from mineral solutions provider Sibelco and was named a semi-finalist in the US Department of Energy’s Carbon Dioxide Removal Purchase Pilot Prize. Microsoft’s backing, Eion’s enhanced rock weathering technology plays a critical role in advancing scalable carbon removal solutions, contributing to global climate goals while fostering sustainable agricultural practices.
