COMPANIES WITH YCNCC CONNECTIONS NAMED AS DOE CDR PURCHASE PILOT PRIZE SEMIFINALISTS

May 28, 2024

Four companies with ties to the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture (YCNCC) have been named as semifinalists in the U.S. Department of Energy Carbon Dioxide Removal Purchase Pilot Prize.

Over 100 teams entered the competition, submitting Phase 1 applications in November of 2023. Today, the DOE announced the initiation of Phase 2 of the competition, where 24 semifinalists will compete to reach Phase 3, when DOE will enter into contracts with up to 10 finalists to purchase $3 million in CDR credits. 

The 24 semifinalists include four companies with YCNCC connections:

  • CREW Carbon, a company whose technology utilizes engineered enhanced weathering (EW) for permanent and verifiable carbon dioxide removal in wastewater systems. CREW was co-founded by Yale PhD Joachim Katchinoff and YCNCC Science Leadership Team member Noah Planavsky, an Associate Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS).
  • Ebb Carbon, a company that created a system for storing atmospheric carbon dioxide in seawater while reducing ocean acidity. The company was co-founded by YCNCC Science Leadership Team member Matthew Eisaman, an Associate Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences in the FAS.
  • Lithos Carbon, a company that accelerates the Earth’s natural carbon cycle by deploying EW in agriculture to permanently remove CO2 from the air and improve crop yields and soil health for farmers. Lithos uses organic-grade volcanic basalt dust and state-of-the-art science to measure CO2 removal. YCNCC Science Leadership Team member Noah Planavsky was a co-founder of the company.
  • Mati Carbon, a company that removes carbon from the atmosphere through the use of basalt-based EW in rice farms, while adding key nutrients to the soil. YCNCC Science Leadership Team member Noah Planavsky co-invented Mati’s isotope dilution technology and is a scientific advisor for the company.

Phase 2 of the competition ends in February 2025, with Phase 3 winners expected to be announced the following May.