Muscat – The embassy of UK felicitated Omani entrepreneur Talal Hasan, founder and Carbon General of 44.01, for winning the Earthshot Prize 2022.

44.01 eliminates CO2 permanently by mineralising it in peridotite, a rock found in abundance in Oman as well as in America, Europe, Asia and Australasia. Peridotite mineralisation is a natural process, but in nature it can take many years to mineralise even a small amount of CO2.

44.01 accelerates the process by injecting carbonated water into seams of peridotite deep underground. The event was held at the residence of the British ambassador on Sunday.

Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, urged people around the world to follow 44.01’s example and take up the fight against climate change.

“We often talk rather too much about the weather in the UK, but the weather matters. Climate change will have disastrous effects internationally, so people all over the world need to take action to protect our planet earth,” said Lord Tariq Ahmad.

Named after the molecular weight of carbon dioxide, 44.01 has aims to mineralise 1bn tonnes of CO2 by 2040. The company hopes to expand its operations internationally in 2023.

“We were inspired to set up 44.01 when we saw the very real impact of climate change here in Oman and around our region. If we are to halt, and ultimately reverse climate change, then we have to remove CO2 from the atmosphere,” said Talal.

Unlike carbon ‘storage’, which involves burying CO2 underground in disused oil-wells or aquifers, mineralisation removes CO2 forever. This means there is no requirement for long-term monitoring or insurance, and ultimately makes the process more cost-effective, scalable and safer.

For Oman having the largest concentration of peridotite in the world, carbon mineralisation could also be a boon for workers in the region. By seeking to solve global problems, 44.01 will solve local ones too. “We will also be able to provide new employment to engineers and geologists as the world transitions to clean forms of energy,” added Talal.

Founded by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in 2020, The Earthshot Prize is the most prestigious global environmental prize to discover, accelerate and scale groundbreaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet. The Earthshot Prize aims to encourage and scale innovative solutions that can help put the world firmly on a trajectory towards a stable climate, where communities, oceans and biodiversity thrive in harmony by 2030.