Greenhouse Gas Removal

Seasons

Resources

How Does Glad Remove Pollution?

How Does Glad Remove Pollution?

Oct 15, 2024

| James McQuarrie

Education

Technically, we don’t - our suppliers do. Glad acts as a demand aggregator, not a deep-tech carbon removal company. In simple terms, we don't directly remove pollution ourselves, we enable others to do it effectively.

And that’s by design.

Our vision is a world where we've returned to safe levels of carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse gases) in our atmosphere. To achieve this, two things need to happen:

  1. We need to stop pumping out emissions.

  2. We must remove the legacy pollution already in the atmosphere—on a scale of giga-tonnes (that's billions of tonnes).

At Glad, we focus on the second challenge: removing legacy carbon pollution at the scale necessary to create real impact.

Why Multiple Carbon Removal Methods Matter

Removing carbon at such massive scale isn't a one-size-fits-all solution. We need a wide variety of methods working together, and scaling up fast.

Currently, the carbon removal industry offers several methods, each at different stages of proving their effectiveness in:

a) Ensuring they actually remove more carbon than the process generates.
b) Sequestering that carbon safely for long enough to make it worthwhile.

No method is perfect or foolproof yet, which is why we take a “blended portfolio” approach. Essentially, we purchase carbon removal from multiple suppliers using different methods. This helps spread the risk, ensure stability in price per tonne, and maximise impact.

Today, we are investing in three key carbon removal methods:

  1. Biomass Sinking

  2. Enhanced Rock Weathering

  3. Biochar

You can learn more about how we evaluate and select these methods in our [12-point assessment framework].

How These Methods Work

Biomass Sinking

Biomass sinking involves taking plant material and sinking it into the deep ocean. The lack of oxygen in deep waters slows decomposition, trapping carbon for thousands of years.

Our supplier gathers waste biomass from farms and forests, then sinks it into carefully monitored ocean waters to ensure the carbon remains sequestered without harmful side effects.

Enhanced Rock Weathering

When rain falls, it combines with carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to form a mild acid. As it hits the ground, it reacts with certain rocks through a natural process called mineralization, which locks carbon into solid carbonates.

This process already removes about 1 billion tonnes of carbon annually, but it can be accelerated. Enhanced Rock Weathering speeds this up by grinding rocks into powder, increasing their surface area, and spreading them on land. This increases the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed and locks it safely away for hundreds of thousands of years. Plus, it improves soil quality, benefiting agriculture.

Biochar

Biochar is one of the safest, most durable, and fastest ways to draw down carbon. It’s created by heating organic materials like wood or straw in a process called pyrolysis (without oxygen). This turns the carbon into a stable form, resisting decomposition for over a century.

Not only does biochar remove carbon, but like Enhanced Rock Weathering, it also improves soil health.

The Future of Glad’s Carbon Removal Portfolio

We are focused on three carbon removal methods today, but we’re just getting started.

The beauty of our blended portfolio approach is that it allows us to continually refine our strategy, always seeking the best solutions for large-scale impact. As the carbon removal landscape evolves, so will our portfolio. We’re constantly evaluating which methods and suppliers offer the greatest impact and value, ensuring that we’re always backing the best options for the planet.

We’re committed to adding new methods and suppliers over time as technology advances and new opportunities emerge.

At Glad, we believe that the future of our planet depends on bold, scalable action and we’re building the portfolio that will help make it happen.

Together, we can remove the legacy pollution of our past and create a cleaner, safer future for generations to come. Let's get to work.

Glad exists to clean up legacy emissions from the atmosphere.
Our first goal is to remove 1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas.

Illustrations sourced from Storyset People, Storyset Data, Online
Images from NASA

Made with 💚 for the 🌍 in the UK

© 2024 All Rights Reserved 

Glad exists to clean up legacy emissions from the atmosphere.
Our first goal is to remove 1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas.

Illustrations sourced from Storyset People, Storyset Data, Online
Images from NASA

Made with 💚 for the 🌍 in the UK

© 2024 All Rights Reserved 

Glad exists to clean up legacy emissions from the atmosphere.
Our first goal is to remove 1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas.

Illustrations sourced from Storyset People, Storyset Data, Online
Images from NASA

Made with 💚 for the 🌍 in the UK

© 2024 All Rights Reserved