Vancouver-based Arca is advancing a new approach to carbon dioxide removal through a collaboration with Carbon Direct, aimed at bringing its Industrial Mineralization (IMin) technology to market as a scalable climate solution.
Arca’s process accelerates carbon mineralization—a naturally occurring reaction between CO₂ and alkaline rocks—by applying proprietary techniques to mine waste and other industrial byproducts. The result is permanent carbon storage, locking CO₂ into stable minerals for over 10,000 years.
The technology has already been proven at field scale. In partnership with BHP, Arca completed an 18-month pilot at an active mining site that achieved net CO₂ removal at high efficiency. Building on that success, the company is now preparing for broader deployment, including projects in Western Australia developed alongside the Tjiwarl Aboriginal Corporation.
Carbon Direct will support the next phase as a co-developer, contributing scientific expertise and carbon market insight to ensure projects meet high standards for durability, measurement, and verification. These factors are critical for scaling credible carbon dioxide removal solutions and building trust among buyers.
Arca’s approach is gaining traction in the growing carbon removal market. The company has already secured an early prepurchase agreement with Frontier and a long-term offtake deal with Microsoft for nearly 300,000 tonnes of CO₂ removal.
Beyond carbon markets, the environmental implications are significant. The mining sector produces billions of tonnes of alkaline rock waste each year, creating both a challenge and an opportunity. Arca’s IMin pathway offers a way to repurpose that material into a climate solution while potentially improving site stability and environmental outcomes.
With an estimated 16.5 billion tonnes of suitable legacy mining waste globally—and billions more generated annually—Arca’s technology could scale alongside existing industrial systems. If deployed widely, industrial mineralization has the potential to become a major pillar of global carbon removal efforts, aligning climate action with the realities of heavy industry.