Turning plant waste into carbon-sequestering bricks to combat climate change

Graphyte, a startup supported by Bill Gates, aims to fight climate change by burying carbon-sequestering bricks made from plant waste deep underground.

Ramin Skibba reports for Undark Magazine.

In short:

• Graphyte has developed a method to create carbon-sequestering bricks from plant waste, which are then buried to trap carbon dioxide.
• The company's goal is to store 50,000 tons of carbon annually, though experts question if this scale is sufficient to impact global emissions.
• The carbon removal industry faces challenges such as scalability, cost, and potential ethical concerns about diverting focus from emission reduction.

Key quote:

“I’m worried about our scale of deployment. I think we need to get serious fast.”

— Barclay Rogers, CEO of Graphyte

Why this matters:

Carbon removal technologies are important, as cutting emissions alone may not be enough to avoid catastrophic climate impacts. Innovative solutions like Graphyte’s bricks could play a significant role if they can scale effectively and economically.