Old Rocks Help Farmers Fight Climate Change

In a Good Morning America story, Mary Yap, cofounder and CEO of Lithos Carbon, uses this metaphor to explain why rock dust is used: What would do a better job of sweetening your morning coffee: a rock of sugar or a spoonful of powdered sugar? 

Both would make the coffee sweeter, but the rock of sugar would take longer to dissolve. Because there is more surface area of sugar exposed to the coffee, the powdered sugar would dissolve quicker and sweeten the coffee faster. 

When it comes to absorbing carbon from the atmosphere, the spoonful of sugar for this partnership is basalt “fines,” finely crushed material produced during Sunrock’s quarrying operations in Butner. The fine rock contains minerals that sequester carbon dioxide. When spread across farmland, the rock particles interact with moisture and atmospheric carbon to initiate mineral weathering. That’s an accelerated version of a natural process Earth has used for billions of years to manage carbon levels. 

Think of it as supercharging what nature is already doing. 

“Partnering with Sunrock Industries has accelerated our deployment of high-quality, community-driven carbon removal across North Carolina,” said Yap in the release. “Sunrock’s deep local roots, strong community ties, and family-owned ethos helped bring this project to life, delivering real benefits to the land. Their commitment to sustainability and quality is evident at every step.” 

Not only is the project good for the environment, it’s a win-win for farmers, who can apply the basalt dust to their land with standard farm equipment. Growers can generate additional revenue by deploying carbon capture technology, and the basalt dust also contains important nutrients for crop production, including phosphorus, zinc, iron and boron. The material even acts as a slow-release fertilizer that also helps with soil regeneration. 

“What makes this partnership particularly exciting is that we’re turning what was once considered excess quarry material into a powerful tool for climate action,” said Culpepper. “The first trucks of Butner rock fines began delivering to local properties in late October 2022, initiating carbon dioxide removal immediately.”