Silicon Valley giants back start-up that pumps poop below ground
Silicon Valley's leading tech companies have invested $58.3 million in Vaulted Deep, a climate change start-up. The company's innovative strategy involves disposing of organic waste products like sewage and manure into underground wells. This investment was facilitated by Frontier Climate, a group established in 2022 by Stripe, Alphabet, Shopify, Meta, and McKinsey Sustainability, to support emerging climate technology.
Vaulted Deep's unique approach to carbon sequestration
Vaulted Deep's unique approach involves collecting waste from agricultural activities and paper mills, and injecting it deep underground. This method prevents the carbon in the waste from being released into the atmosphere during decomposition. As part of its agreement with Frontier Climate, Vaulted Deep has committed to sequestering 152,480 tons of carbon dioxide by 2027, equivalent to removing approximately 36,000 fuel-inefficient cars off the road for one year.
Vaulted Deep's technology: A proven method with a new purpose
The technology used by Vaulted Deep is not new, having been previously employed in the oil and gas fracking industry for sludge disposal. The company's executive chairman, Omar Abou-Sayed, revealed that his father developed this technique while working for Arco. The process involves injecting solid waste underground with enough pressure to open up fissures and pores in rock, without clogging the well. Abou-Sayed emphasized, "There's no technology magic that has to happen. It's not a science fair experiment."
The cost challenge in carbon dioxide removal technologies
Carbon dioxide removal technologies are seen as potential solutions to climate change, but their high cost remains a challenge. The largest facility currently filtering CO2 from the air charges around $600 per ton of captured CO2. Vaulted Deep's deal with Frontier equates to approximately $382 per ton, but the industry's goal is to reduce this cost to under $100 per ton.
Vaulted Deep's strategy to lower costs and increase efficiency
Vaulted Deep plans to reach the industry's cost target by positioning its wells closer to the waste sources it pumps underground. The company already manages about 20% of Los Angeles's sewage sludge. Brian Roe, a professor of farm management at Ohio State University, commented on this approach, "It's nice to have more tools in the toolbox. I'm just kind of fascinated to figure out where this is going to work."
Ensuring positive environmental impact through carbon accounting
To demonstrate its positive environmental impact, Vaulted Deep must prove that it is effectively reducing CO2 emissions in its carbon accounting. The company is collaborating with a carbon removal registry known as Isometric to vet its process. Vaulted Deep's CEO Julia Reichelstein, who was an investor at climate VC fund Piva Capital before joining the start-up, described Frontier's backing as "really huge."
