Carbonaught: Turning Quarry Waste into Climate Solutions

Andrew Pedley (left) and James Lyons, PhD, two of the co-founders (along with Rhys Heffernan, PhD) of Carbonaught (Photo courtesy of Carbonaught) Basalt is one of the most abundant volcanic rocks on Earth. Formed from molten lava, it’s commonly used in construction for roads and buildings. But during the mining process, much of the finest basalt dust ends up discarded, considered waste. Preparing to apply rock dust to sugar cane at Carbonaught's Farnsfield enhanced rock weathering project (Photo courtesy of Carbonaught) Andrew Pedley, James Lyons, PhD, and Rhys Heffernan, PhD, all former mining professionals, recognized this overlooked ...

Funding the “Missing Middle” – How to Scale Up Climate Solutions

Map of Milkywire Climate Transformation Fund projects Lithos Carbon founders (from left) Mary Yap, Dr. Chris Reinhard, and Dr. Noah Planavsky (click to enlarge) The term “missing middle” refers to the funding gap between early-stage innovation and large-scale commercial deployment. While the missing middle concept has become a mainstay in climate conversations – appearing in investment panels, policy discussions, and startup pitch decks – the real-world implications, especially for emerging carbon removal technologies like enhanced rock weathering (ERW), remains under-explored. ERW technologies like those developed by Lithos Carbon, ...