® Azerbazalt and Isometric launch South Caucasus’ first international carbon certification project based on ERW
Azerbaijan’s Azerbazalt and UK-based Isometric, a company specializing in the certification of carbon dioxide removal projects, have signed a cooperation agreement.
Azerbazalt told AZERTAC that the partnership aims to develop long-term carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere using Azerbaijan’s domestic basalt resources through Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW), while enabling the resulting carbon removals to be certified in accordance with international standards.
According to the company, the initiative is the first project in the South Caucasus aimed at international carbon certification based on ERW technology. Cooperation with an international carbon certification platform such as Isometric marks an important step towards establishing a new technological pathway for carbon dioxide removal in Azerbaijan.
ERW is a carbon removal technology based on accelerating the natural process of rock weathering. Mineral-rich rocks such as basalt are crushed and applied to soil, where natural geochemical reactions convert atmospheric carbon dioxide into more stable forms.
One of the advantages of the technology is that, alongside removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, basalt may also serve as a source of minerals when applied to agricultural soils.
The project is expected to use basalt resources from the Chaykend area of Azerbaijan’s Goygol district. Mineralogical and chemical analyses carried out to date indicate that the local basalt has promising characteristics for application in ERW.
Azerbazalt’s production infrastructure provides an important foundation for the potential future scale-up of the project. At the initial stage, the company is expected to have an annual production capacity of 360,000 tonnes. This capacity could broaden the use of basalt beyond its conventional applications and create opportunities for its deployment in carbon dioxide removal technologies.
The next stage of the cooperation is expected to include pilot applications, further characterization of basalt and soil properties, establishment of monitoring systems, and submission of the resulting data for international certification.
Isometric is a UK-based company operating in the carbon dioxide removal sector, with an approach based on scientific methodologies, monitoring, reporting, and independent verification. The company provides certification infrastructure for a range of carbon removal technologies, including Enhanced Rock Weathering.
The cooperation between Azerbazalt and Isometric is expected to contribute to expanding economic ties between Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom into new areas, including green technologies, carbon dioxide removal, and climate innovation.
Successful implementation of the project could support the use of Azerbaijan’s mineral resources in new, higher-value technological applications, contribute to the development of scientific and technical expertise in carbon removal, and expand the country’s opportunities to participate in the international carbon market as a project developer.
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