Big Tech Is Putting Millions Into Carbon Capture at Sewage Plants and Paper Mills

Several major companies, including Google, Salesforce, and H&M, are betting on an unusual solution to clean up their carbon pollution: capturing carbon from sewage treatment plants and paper mills. They’ve committed millions of dollars to this cause, signing deals that could help reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere.

One startup, CREW, is getting $32 million to trap carbon emissions from wastewater treatment facilities. Another, CO280, is getting $48 million to retrofit paper mills with carbon capture technology. These investments are part of an $80 million initiative called Frontier, led by companies like Stripe, Google, and Shopify.

The goal is to remove carbon dioxide from the air, an urgent issue for businesses that need to offset their emissions. Traditional methods like direct air capture have been costly. Google, for example, generated 14.3 million metric tons of CO2 last year, making these technologies still quite expensive. CREW’s method costs about $447 per ton of CO2, while CO280’s is cheaper at $214 per ton.

CREW captures carbon by adding alkaline minerals to water treatment tanks. These minerals react with CO2, turning it into bicarbonate, which is then carried into the ocean. Meanwhile, CO280 focuses on capturing carbon from pulp and paper mills. The technology used here is designed to trap CO2 from burning black liquor, a byproduct of paper production, and store it underground.

Despite the promise, carbon capture has its critics. The process can be energy-intensive and could create more emissions. Environmentalists argue that these technologies might distract from the real solution: cutting fossil fuel use and transitioning to cleaner energy.

Still, companies like Google are willing to invest in this carbon removal effort as part of their sustainability goals. But many experts stress that these technologies shouldn’t replace efforts to reduce emissions at the source.