Microsoft agrees to a significant carbon removal agreement with biomass waste management startup Vaulted Deep
Microsoft Secures Largest-Ever Carbon Removal Deal with Vaulted Deep
In a groundbreaking move, tech giant Microsoft has signed a 12-year offtake agreement with Vaulted Deep, a biomass waste management startup, marking the largest carbon removal deal globally to date. This agreement aims to remove up to 4.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide over the next 12 years.
Vaulted Deep's unique approach to carbon removal involves turning organic waste, such as biosolids, manure, agricultural waste, food waste, and paper sludge, into a carbon-rich slurry. This slurry is then stored deep underground using a proprietary slurry injection technology, ensuring a permanence of over 10,000 years.
This deal surpasses the previous largest deal in volume and longevity, which was a 10-year agreement between Microsoft and Stockholm Exergi, a Swedish energy company, for the removal of 3.3 million metric tons of CO₂ from a BECCS (Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage) plant.
Microsoft, the largest corporate buyer of carbon removal credits globally, is now purchasing over 30 million tonnes of carbon removal. The company is aiming to become carbon negative by 2030, and this agreement is part of its efforts towards that goal.
Julia Reichelstein, the co-founder and CEO of Vaulted Deep, expressed her excitement about the partnership, stating that it will allow the startup to expand its approach to new sites across the U.S. Vaulted Deep is actively seeking new waste partners across industries to tackle their hard-to-manage organic waste.
The agreement with Vaulted Deep is supported by Microsoft as part of its broader effort to accelerate durable, high-integrity carbon removal. The deal is one of several multi-million tonne carbon credit deals by Microsoft in recent weeks. According to CDR.fyi, Microsoft's carbon removal purchases place it as the second largest purchaser, with the Frontier buyers group being the first.
Instead of incineration, landfilling, or spreading on land, Vaulted Deep sequesters the organic waste and injects it deep underground for permanent storage. This approach to carbon removal is described as differentiated and scalable with low technology risk.
By choosing Vaulted Deep, Microsoft is not only investing in carbon removal but also supporting local economies and addressing long-standing environmental challenges. Vaulted Deep partners with municipalities, industrial operators, and agricultural producers to manage their organic waste, delivering immediate climate benefits while stimulating local economies.
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- The science behind carbon removal is fostering innovation, as demonstrated by Microsoft's deal with Vaulted Deep, using environmental-science to transform organic waste into a carbon sink, thereby addressing climate-change.
- In the realm of business and finance, Microsoft's substantial investment in carbon removal technology signifies a promising shift towards a low-carbon economy, highlighting the role of such ventures in combating climate-change.
- Vaulted Deep's unique carbon removal approach, utilizing technology for permanent storage of waste deep underground, is not only reducing carbon emissions but also offering economic benefits by stimulating local economies.
