The rock that promises a bright future for Oman

At the centre of the Oman Garden at the Doha Expo 2023 stands an imposing black rock. Water trickles down its surface creating a pleasant effect.

If you look closely, you can see a pattern of white veins in the rock.

But this rock is not just ornamental. It is a symbol of how the unique geology of the Sultanate could play a vital role in the race to tackle climate change and for Oman to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

For this rock is peridotite, a rock found widely across Oman, that has a natural ability to ‘mineralise’ carbon dioxide (CO2) and lock it away – forever. The white veins in the rock are the tell-tale sign that CO2 has been mineralised into the rock.

When rainwater, which naturally contains dissolved CO2, falls onto the rock it seeps into the cracks within it. It’s there that the chemical magic happens. Over time, the CO2 is transformed into calcite, creating those distinct white veins.

It’s an entirely natural process, but usually it’s one that takes decades.

But now an Omani Company called 44.01 is developing a way to accelerate this process.

44.01, named after the molecular mass of CO2, hopes that the technologies it is developing can help avoid the most damaging effects of climate change by eliminating millions of tons of CO2 every year.

This holds out great hope for the future because CO2 is one of the main gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect, warming the earth and creating damaging climate change.

44.01 are working on special technologies to inject CO2, dissolved in water, into peridotite formations deep underground where it can be locked away permanently, without maintenance and without risk of the CO2 leaking back into the atmosphere.

Talal Hasan, CEO and founder of 44.1 said: “Our technology accelerates the natural mineralisation process so that it takes months rather than decades. We are investing in research and development to make our process as cost-effective and efficient as possible so that we can help the Sultanate reach its Net Zero ambitions and help scale internationally.”

The company has already completed pilot projects in Oman and the UAE which have shown that the process is safe and that it causes no adverse impacts to the local environment or the subsurface.

It’s now running a larger scale project in the Hajar mountains to demonstrate its commercial viability.

This involves injecting CO2 dissolved in water into peridotite rocks 1,000 metres below the surface – well away from any sources of drinking water.  The conditions underground are perfect to accelerate the natural process of mineralisation to lock away the CO2.

With Oman’s abundant renewable energy sources of solar and wind power, the whole process can be powered with clean energy.

For every ton of CO2 mineralised, 44.01 can create a valuable carbon credit which can be sold in the open market.

Carbon credits for mineralised CO2 sell at a premium compared to carbon ‘storage’ which never truly removes the CO2 and requires lifetime monitoring and insurance.

“The carbon market is growing rapidly and the kind of high-quality, permanent carbon credits that 44.01 produces are in increasing demand,” said Talal.

This puts Oman in a very strong position. The Sultanate has abundant peridotite rocks in Oman which are easy to access thanks to the ophiolite geology of Oman. Ophiolite means that sections of earth’s mantle (the layer under the Earth’s crust) have been lifted up and exposed.

This means the Sultanate has a huge advantage over other parts of the world where peridotite deposits are also found, but where they often lie 20 to 30km underground, making them much harder to access.

Oman is therefore an ideal location for large scale carbon mineralization projects which can generate important revenues for Oman and help meet the goal set by His Majesty the Sultan’s government of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The potential of 44.01’s plans was highlighted when it won the 2022 Earthshot Prize in the “Fix our Climate” category.

Founded in 2020 by Prince William of the United Kingdom and The Royal Foundation, The Earthshot Prize is a global environmental prize to discover, accelerate, and scale up ground-breaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet.

The Earthshot Prize is judged by an international council which includes leaders from the fields of business, philanthropy, science and entertainment. The panel looks for tested, scalable solutions that can help repair the climate and prevent further harm.

Talal Hasan is delighted at this recognition from Earthshot: “Our challenge is to scale our solution internationally, and the Earthshot Prize has helped us to do just that,” he said.

As the world transitions to clean forms of energy, 44.01 will provide new employment opportunities for engineers and geologists working in the fossil fuel industry.

“Given Oman has one of the largest surface level deposits of peridotite in the world, carbon mineralisation could also be a real opportunity for workers in the region and for the energy transition.”

By seeking to solve global problems, 44.01 is also aiming to solve local ones, bringing jobs and prosperity to Oman.

To find out more about the work of 44.01 click here.