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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 1d

Read the full story in our newsletter: www.carbon-drawdown.de/blog/2025-9-...

Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 1d

The result was more uniform germination, healthier root-to-mineral contact (accelerating CO₂ capture), and better soil resilience in real-world agriculture

It’s a reminder that in enhanced rock weathering (ERW), chemistry matters, but physics can make or break the outcome.

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 1d

Why such a disparity? The superfine silt in glacial flour fills the big gaps between sand grains, forming “mesopores.” These tiny spaces hold water against gravity (think of a paper towel effect), distributing moisture evenly across the soil.

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 1d

• 𝗚𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗙𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗿 from Greenland (90% smaller than 4 microns) created dense, even plant growth.

• 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗲 and 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲, with coarser grains (200–360 microns), led to patchy germination and weak cover.

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 1d

In our latest greenhouse experiment, we saw something striking:

Three pots with the same sandy soil, light, water, and temperature. But one pot flourished, while the others grew slower.

The difference? Particle size.

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 2d

If you are spreading rock dust and want to sell certificates, you can not certify these yourself (this requires a third party), and you must also concentrate on sheer scale of operations, which doesn’t go well with the development processes for tools or services.

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 2d

If you provide great tech or products for EW companies, you can’t do big EW projects yourself (you would be competition to your customers).

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 2d

As we are very early in the development of this industry, some companies are partially crossing over into the other categories in part, but I expect the industry to eventually separate in these three categories.

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 2d

Finally, the accountants are standard and certification organizations like Isometric, Puro, CSI, and Cascade, as well as marketplaces like Carbonfuture.

Ideally, a company belongs to one of these three groups. This avoids internal conflicts of interest.

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 2d

The shovel makers are companies that provide tech for the stone throwers, for example measurements (e.g. sub-surface alkalinity sensors, like Everest), material science (e.g. Sequestra, Qmineral), bacterial-based improvement (e.g. Syntopa) or rock supply (e.g. Rock Flour Company).

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 2d

The stone throwers are the companies that actually buy rocks, move rocks and spread rock dust on fields. They are doing the hard, heavy, dirty work. Like @inplanet.bsky.social, Flux, Lithos, Eion, Silicate, Cotierra and Silica, all from our CDR portfolio.

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 2d

In the industry of enhanced weathering, I see three main categories of companies: Stone throwers, shovel makers and accountants. And there are some mixed forms, too, at least for now.

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 4d

„Our“ side of the Internet, the one we like!

Such a nice video!

youtu.be/22GN93fOd4s?...

Alive Internet Theory

YouTube video by Ali Gallop

youtu.be

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 5d

Glad you liked it!

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 5d

It's 𝗢𝗰𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗼 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 where I invite you to a 15 second ocean meditation with a photo (This week: Westcoast, Portugal)

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 6d

Read the full update here: www.carbon-drawdown.de/blog/2025-9-...

The progress of Enhanced Weathering as a solution for the climate crisis - in a TRL chart (updated) — Carbon Drawdown Initiative

We see progress! Three years ago, we shared a 2022 version of this graph in which we published our assessment of the state of the EW industry over all necessary steps. There were many more yellow ...

www.carbon-drawdown.de

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 6d

But there are still orange and red boxes. We lack a reliable, measurement-truthed model to scale field results. Policy acceptance is also critical. The EU is only now considering EW as a recognized negative emissions method.

The chart shows both the progress and the work ahead. Let’s keep pushing.

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 6d

• Certification, bookkeeping, and marketplaces are maturing.

• Awareness has grown, with projects like 𝘓𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘰𝘯 44 bringing EW to broader audiences.

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 6d

• Scientific publications on EW have grown exponentially, filling important knowledge gaps.

• Field prototypes are running, including 9 electronic sensors in our XXL lysimeters.

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 6d

The field of Enhanced Weathering (EW) is making steady progress.

Three years ago, our TRL chart of the EW industry showed many yellow and red boxes. Today, it looks much greener.

Here’s what has changed since 2022:

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 8d

It isn't as cool/cold as an A/C, but IMO actually feels much more comfortable (I hate the air flows from these machines). 2/2

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 8d

In our case the cooling is done by running heatpump-cooled water (in "reverse mode") through the pipes of the underfloor heating in the summer. So the floor is much cooler and it feels a bit like cold radiation comes from below. 1/2

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 8d

PS: Source of data: www.umweltbundesamt.de/bild/anzahl-...

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 8d

Nobody likes such solutions, but they will become necessary.

How are you stepping up your cooling capabilities?

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Dirk Paessler @dpaessler.bsky.social · 8d

We will need to think about cooling the planet in the not too far future. Scientists and engineers need to look into this topic now so we can find out WHAT might actually be working in one or two decades…

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