This is a major milestone as it is the first time that removals involving geological storage through subsurface mineralization are certified on the voluntary carbon market.

The Puro Standard sets quality requirements for solutions such as direct air capture and mineral storage and records the lifecycle of CO2 Removal Certificates in a public registry. The certification affirms the integrity of the removal activities and that they fulfill a stringent set of quality criteria, such as additionality and high durability.

Puro.earth’s methodology for geologically stored carbon was applied to the removal activities performed by Climeworks and Carbfix at Hellisheiði in Iceland. Climeworks’ Orca direct air capture facility has been in operation there since 2021.

Carbfix has mineralized CO2 at the site for over a decade, including CO2 captured from the atmosphere by Climeworks and CO2 captured from the emissions of ON Power’s nearby Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant. The CO2 is injected into reactive underground rock formations where natural processes cause it to rapidly transform into carbonate minerals – effectively turning the CO2 into stone – ensuring that it is permanently stored.

From left: Louis Uzor, Lead Standards & Certification at Climeworks; Martin Voigt, Head of MRV at Carbfix; Ali Daoud, Auditor at DNV; and Marianne Tikkanen, co-founder and Head of Standard at Puro.earth, at Climeworks’ Orca plant in Iceland.