Microsoft funding new technology for carbon removal

Microsoft agreed to fund a carbon capture technology that uses the natural properties of limestone to take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, the startup firm Heirloom Carbon announced.

The tech giant will purchase about $200 million worth of carbon credits — equivalent to 315,000 tons of carbon — over 10 years from Heirloom to fund its carbon capture operations in Louisiana and elsewhere in the US.

Heirloom’s direct air capture process uses processed limestone to draw carbon dioxide out of the air, where it is then removed from the stone and stored underground or in concrete.

In addition to a pledge to go carbon-negative by 2030, the company has also committed to paying back all carbon the company has ever produced by 2050.

Heirloom’s Louisiana facility was selected to receive up to $600 million from the Department of Energy last month, funding provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed under the Biden administration.

Heirloom leadership said Microsoft’s funding is critical to finance future direct air capture facilities and continue the company’s goals.