Title: Enhanced weathering in industrial, rural and urban settings for atmospheric CO2 removal
Limiting global warming to well below 2°C requires not only rapid and sustained emissions reductions, but also the large-scale deployment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies. Enhanced weathering (EW) and mineral carbonation of crushed silicate rocks are increasingly recognised as promising, durable CDR pathways. However, their scalability depends on the availability of reactive feedstocks and robust monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) frameworks.
This talk evaluates the global potential of EW deployment across industrial, rural and urban environments. In industrial settings, mining operations generate vast quantities of silicate-rich by-products that represent an underutilised resource for CDR. Desktop studies and experimental work highlight significant potential in materials derived from the Bushveld Complex, the primary source of global platinum production.
In rural contexts, the large-scale application of crushed silicate rocks to soils provides further opportunities for atmospheric CDR, although challenges remain in feedstock distribution, reaction kinetics and verification at scale. Achieving meaningful impact across both industrial and rural systems will require expanded pilot studies, field trials and improved understanding of mineral dissolution processes under variable environmental conditions.
Urban environments offer a complementary and potentially accelerated pathway for EW implementation. Green roofs amended with reactive silicate materials represent a novel, space-efficient CDR strategy that aligns with existing infrastructure, policy incentives and co-benefits. Our assessment suggests that urban EW could contribute removal at the million-tonne scale, supported by enhanced measurability and more controlled conditions for process optimisation.
Together, these findings demonstrate that integrating EW across industrial, rural and urban systems can significantly expand the scale and versatility of CDR. While each setting presents distinct challenges and opportunities, their combined deployment offers a flexible, scalable and durable approach to atmospheric CDR.
Liam Bullock graduated with a Dual Honours BSc in Geology and Geography from Keele University (UK) in 2009, followed by a PhD in Earth Sciences (Volcanology) in 2014. After volunteering at the Colima volcano observatory in Mexico (2010) and working in gold exploration in Ethiopia (2015), he held research positions at the University of Aberdeen (2015–2018) on strategic trace metals and at the Universities of Southampton and Oxford (2018–2021) on carbon removal by enhanced weathering. He was a, EU Marie Curie Research Fellow at Geosciences Barcelona-CSIC (2021–2022), then Head of Science at the Carbon Neutral Initiative in the Netherlands (2023–2024). Since 2025, Liam has been a Tenured Scientist at the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain, specialising in geological processes, mineral resources and sustainable climate solutions, with a focus on natural weathering, industrial by-products and nature-based approaches for carbon dioxide removal within national and European projects.
