Agricultural processing giant ADM has announced its planned entry into the voluntary carbon dioxide removal (CDR) market, utilizing credits generated by its carbon capture operations at its Columbus, Nebraska processing complex.
The facility, which possesses an annual capacity exceeding 800,000 tonnes, is currently undergoing certification and credit issuance by CDR infrastructure provider Puro.earth under its Geologically Stored Carbon methodology (Edition 2024). Initial credit issuance and verification are expected by the end of the year, initiating a 15-year crediting period for the asset.
Kris Lutt, Vice President of Innovation and Growth at ADM, stated that the initiative builds on the company’s decade-long experience in geologic storage, including Class VI well operations at its Decatur, Illinois site. He noted that combining ADM’s processing footprint with specialized transportation infrastructure enables the company to link agricultural production with corporate carbon removal demand across sectors such as technology, finance, aviation, and pharmaceuticals.
Inaugurated in 2025 in partnership with energy infrastructure provider Tallgrass, the Columbus project captures biogenic carbon dioxide generated during ethanol fermentation at ADM’s corn processing plant. The gas is purified, compressed, and transported to Tallgrass’s Eastern Wyoming Sequestration Hub for permanent underground storage via Class VI wells permitted by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.
Jan-Willem Bode, President of Puro.earth, noted that certifying carbon removal at this operational scale requires rigorous data collection and third-party auditing, adding that the project sets a replicable benchmark for bioethanol-based carbon capture globally.
ADM’s Columbus facility employs over 650 staff across wet and dry mills, converting regional corn crops into food ingredients, animal feed, and renewable fuels.
