London, UK – Project Hajar – a collaboration between UK-based Mission Zero Technologies (MZT) and Oman-based 44.01 – has been recognised among the top 15 teams in the US$100mn XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition.

Each of the 15 milestone winning teams has been awarded US$1mn to recognise their efforts to date and support their continued work to scale solutions. The competition is funded by entrepreneur Elon Musk and the Musk Foundation.

Project Hajar connects two complementary technologies to unlock gigatonnes of CO2 removal in the Al Hajar mountains of Oman. The project, to be fully powered by renewables, combines MZT’s proprietary electrochemical direct air capture technology with 44.01’s permanent sequestration capabilities via mineralisation in peridotite formations.

Under the project, CO2 will be efficiently collected from the air and then transferred to peridotite underground – a mineral widely studied for its CO2 mineralisation potential and naturally abundant in Oman’s geology. ‘The natural weathering process is enhanced by the fastest mineral carbonation rates ever demonstrated in the field to deliver verifiable and permanent carbon removal,’ stated a press release.

“In the wake of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s latest assertion that carbon removal is now necessary to achieve our global climate goals, we are thrilled that Project Hajar has been identified by XPRIZE as a solution with the potential to scale and make meaningful impact,” said Karan Khimji, co-founder and chief commercial officer of 44.01. “The prize money will enable us to execute our vision for Project Hajar. The hard work starts now.”

The first phase of Project Hajar expects an early-2024 commissioning date for a minimum 1000 tCO2/year carbon removal operation with dedicated renewables on-site.