Oman-founded carbon removal company 44.01 has secured US$11.7 million in carbon removal offtake agreements facilitated by Frontier, the US-based advanced market commitment. The agreements cover the permanent removal and storage of 20,932 tonnes of carbon dioxide between 2028 and 2031. This marks Frontier’s first purchase using in-situ mineralization, a process that converts captured carbon dioxide into solid minerals underground.
Frontier's First In-Situ Mineralization Deal
Frontier facilitated the purchases on behalf of Stripe, Google, Shopify, Autodesk, H&M Group, and Workday, with additional participation through Watershed’s partnership with Frontier. The agreements build on early pre-purchases from Stripe and Shopify in 2022 and move the relationship toward commercial-scale deployment. Talal Hasan, Chief Executive of 44.01, said the commitment marks a shift from demonstration to commercial delivery.
Hannah Bebbington Valori, Head of Frontier, highlighted that storage location should not limit where carbon dioxide can be removed. She noted that in-situ mineralization could expand the storage map by making permanent storage practical in places conventional storage cannot economically reach. Ella Hughes, technical program manager for carbon removal at Google, confirmed that Google is partnering with 44.01 through Frontier to advance the technology.
This is Frontier’s first carbon removal purchase using in-situ mineralization and its first such agreement in the Middle East. The endorsement represents a strong commercial signal for 44.01’s technology and its plans to scale globally beyond the Middle East. It also demonstrates buyer appetite for permanent removal credits generated outside traditional storage hubs.
How the Mineralization Process Works
The process begins by dissolving captured CO₂ in water and injecting the solution into peridotite, a naturally occurring magnesium-rich rock. The dissolved carbon reacts with the rock to form stable solid carbonates, locking the carbon underground within one to three years. This approach reduces reliance on long-distance pipelines and shipping where suitable reactive rocks lie close to industrial emission sources.
Unlike conventional geological storage, which injects compressed CO₂ into deep sedimentary formations, mineralization creates another option in regions where such basins are unavailable or too costly to reach. The technology accelerates a natural process that would otherwise occur over much longer timescales. By storing carbon as rock, it also provides permanent containment without the need for long-term monitoring associated with some storage methods.
Commercial and Industrial Applications
44.01 has demonstrated its process in Oman and the United Arab Emirates, where extensive exposed peridotite formations provide suitable geology. The company is also running a pilot with Holcim at a UAE cement plant to demonstrate carbon capture and mineralization under real-world operating conditions. This dual focus supports both permanent carbon removal credits and industrial decarbonization for hard-to-abate sectors such as cement and steel.
The Frontier-backed project is designed to demonstrate continuous operation and generate data on injection rates, water requirements, and operating costs. These results will help establish the basis for larger, economically viable projects. The project combines biogenic CO₂ with permanent storage through mineralization, making it the first commercial-scale project of its kind.
The US$11.7 million commitment signals growing buyer confidence in engineered carbon removal pathways beyond conventional storage. By turning captured carbon into rock, 44.01 aims to make permanent storage practical in regions that conventional methods cannot economically reach. The data generated between 2028 and 2031 could help establish in-situ mineralization as a scalable climate solution.