As more businesses set net-zero targets, reducing emissions across operations and supply chains remains the priority. Improving energy efficiency, switching to renewable power, and working with suppliers to cut emissions are central to most corporate climate strategies.
At the same time, many organisations are hearing more about carbon removal technologies. These solutions aim to remove carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and store it for long periods of time.
While the sector is still developing, carbon removal is increasingly discussed in climate policy, research, and corporate sustainability conversations — particularly when it comes to addressing emissions that are difficult to eliminate completely.
For sustainability and business leaders, understanding how these technologies work and where they currently sit in the climate landscape is becoming increasingly relevant. This article explores some of the main emerging carbon removal technologies and how they fit into the broader transition to net zero.
What Are Carbon Removal Technologies?
Carbon removal technologies are methods that remove CO₂ from the atmosphere and store it for long periods of time. Unlike emissions reduction, which prevents new emissions, carbon removal actively extracts CO₂ that is already present.
Carbon removal, sometimes called carbon dioxide removal (CDR), is widely recognised as an essential component of long-term climate strategies. Most credible pathways combine:
Deep emissions reductions across operations and supply chains
Carbon removal to address residual emissions that are difficult to avoid
Understanding these technologies helps businesses stay informed about emerging solutions without implying that they need to purchase them.
Types of Emerging Carbon Removal Technologies
The main emerging carbon removal technologies include:
- Direct Air Capture (DAC) – machines that remove CO₂ directly from the air
- Carbon mineralisation – converting CO₂ into stable minerals or embedding it in materials like concrete
- Biochar – storing carbon in a stable charcoal-like material made from biomass
- Enhanced rock weathering – accelerating natural chemical reactions that capture CO₂
- Ocean-based carbon removal – enhancing the ocean’s capacity to absorb carbon
- Bio-oil storage and BECCS – capturing carbon from biomass and storing it underground
Each approach has different durability, scale, and monitoring characteristics, and most are still being explored through research or pilot projects.
Direct Air Capture (DAC)
Direct Air Capture systems remove CO₂ directly from the surrounding air using chemical processes. The captured carbon can then be compressed and stored in geological formations or converted into other long-term storage forms.
Several DAC facilities are operating today, and larger plants are under development. Interest in the technology has grown among businesses, researchers, and policymakers, who are monitoring its development and potential applications.
While DAC can provide long-term carbon storage potential, capturing CO₂ from the air requires significant energy. Costs are currently high, but experts expect them to decline as technology scales.
Key takeaway for business leaders: DAC represents one of the most durable carbon storage approaches being explored today, though its primary relevance is understanding the evolving technology and market landscape.
Carbon Mineralisation
Carbon mineralisation stores carbon by converting CO₂ into stable minerals. This can occur naturally in rocks or be accelerated in industrial processes.
In the construction sector, some companies inject CO₂ into concrete during production, where it becomes permanently locked in the material. Other projects focus on injecting CO₂ into specific underground rock formations for long-term mineral storage.
Because the carbon becomes physically embedded, mineralisation offers highly durable storage potential.
Key takeaway: Mineralisation demonstrates how carbon can be safely stored in materials or rock, providing an example of durable storage without implying immediate business action.
Biochar
Biochar is produced by heating organic materials like agricultural residues in low-oxygen conditions (pyrolysis), creating a stable charcoal-like material that stores carbon in soils for decades or centuries.
Applied to farmland, biochar can improve soil quality, water retention, and nutrient availability. It is already being deployed in many regions and offers medium-term carbon storage potential.
Key takeaway: Biochar shows how waste biomass can store carbon while providing co-benefits for soil and agriculture.
Enhanced Rock Weathering
Enhanced rock weathering accelerates a natural process where certain rocks react with CO₂ to form stable carbonates. By crushing reactive rocks (like basalt) and spreading them on cropland, chemical reactions remove carbon from the atmosphere.
Early research projects are exploring soil health benefits alongside carbon removal potential. Measurement is still developing, so storage estimates are conservative.
Key takeaway: This approach demonstrates how natural processes can be leveraged to capture carbon while providing potential agricultural benefits.
Ocean-Based Carbon Removal
The oceans absorb a significant portion of human-emitted CO₂. Emerging technologies aim to enhance this process, such as:
Ocean alkalinity enhancement – adding alkaline materials to seawater to increase CO₂ absorption
Seaweed cultivation – growing marine biomass that captures carbon as it grows
Most projects are at the pilot or research stage, and careful environmental monitoring is critical.
Key takeaway: Ocean-based approaches are still experimental, offering insight into future carbon removal possibilities.
Bio-Oil Storage and BECCS
These approaches combine biomass and underground storage:
Bio-oil storage – biomass is converted into a dense liquid (bio-oil) via pyrolysis and stored underground
BECCS (Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage) – CO₂ from biomass-based energy is captured and stored geologically
Both provide long-term storage potential, but feedstock sustainability and land use are key considerations.
Key takeaway: These technologies illustrate how bioenergy can be combined with storage to remove carbon from the atmosphere.
Why Understanding Carbon Removal Matters
Even if a business is not engaging with carbon removal directly, staying informed about emerging technologies is useful. Carbon removal is increasingly discussed in:
- Climate research and policy debates
- Corporate sustainability reporting
- Long-term net-zero planning
Understanding how different technologies work — from DAC and mineralisation to biochar and ocean-based approaches — helps leaders contextualise discussions about emissions, carbon neutrality, and climate solutions. It also provides insight into potential future developments that could influence regulations, reporting standards, and market expectations.
Key point: Knowledge of the evolving carbon removal landscape allows businesses to engage more confidently with climate science, policy, and sustainability conversations — without needing to purchase or support carbon removal projects.
The Future of Carbon Removal Technologies
Carbon removal will not replace emissions reduction. Reducing operational and supply chain emissions remains the most effective lever for climate action.
Over time, as technologies mature and monitoring improves, carbon removal is likely to play a larger role in addressing residual emissions. For now, the key for business leaders is awareness and understanding, so they can engage knowledgeably with research, policy, and future opportunities.
If you have questions about how your business can prioritise emissions reduction and explore climate solutions in line with net-zero goals, get in touch or book a free consultation with our team. We’re here to help you navigate the evolving sustainability landscape.
