Carbon Direct and Arca have partnered to bring Arca’s “Industrial Mineralisation” (IMin) carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits to the global market. The partnership aims to scale Arca’s field-proven technology, which transforms alkaline mine waste into a permanent carbon sink, effectively turning an industrial liability into a climate asset.
The IMin process accelerates the natural reaction between alkaline rocks and atmospheric CO2—a process that normally takes millennia—to capture and store carbon as stable minerals for over 10,000 years. Following a successful 18-month pilot with mining giant BHP that demonstrated high-efficiency carbon removal at an active site, Arca is now preparing for broader deployment.
Carbon Direct will act as a co-developer on future IMin projects, providing the scientific rigour and market expertise required to meet the highest standards for durability and verification. The technology has already secured significant commercial interest, including a 10-year offtake agreement with Microsoft for nearly 300,000 tonnes of CDR.
“Arca’s Industrial Mineralization pathway accelerates a natural process that would otherwise take thousands of years, turning mining waste from a liability into a climate asset,” said Greg FitzGerald, Vice President of Supply at Carbon Direct. “Arca delivers what the market desperately needs: proven carbon mineralization at field scale with durable storage and advanced measurement.”
The mining sector produces approximately 3 billion tonnes of suitable alkaline waste annually, with an estimated 16.5 billion tonnes of legacy waste already available worldwide. Arca’s technology is designed to integrate into existing mining infrastructure with minimal additional energy or equipment, offering potential co-benefits such as the stabilisation of mine tailings.
In addition to its industrial partnerships, Arca has teamed up with the Tjiwarl Aboriginal Corporation to develop projects within the Goldfields region of Western Australia, ensuring that scaling efforts include local and indigenous stakeholders.
“Collaborating with Carbon Direct on new Industrial Mineralization projects will help us scale more quickly,” said Paul Needham, CEO at Arca. “Our stakeholders, customers and industrial partners will value objective industry-leading expertise to de-risk decisions about projects, offtakes and new technology adoption.”
