A Colorado-based deep-tech climate startup has officially moved its carbon dioxide removal technology out of the laboratory and into the field, deploying its first pilot site in Wyoming.
Aquarry specializes in a mineral-based carbon removal approach designed for former industrial sites. The method dissolves alkaline mine waste directly into pit lakes at abandoned mines. This chemical interaction boosts the water’s natural capacity to absorb carbon dioxide from the surrounding air, driving a process that permanently locks the gas away as solid carbonate rock.
The transition from controlled indoor research to an outdoor environment marks a significant operational milestone for the firm. Last year, the venture secured $248,906 through a special Slingshot fundraiser hosted by Wren, capital that directly funded the shift from theoretical modeling to physical deployment.
Tracking Real-World Mineralization in Wyoming
The new Wyoming installation functions as an outdoor testing ground to evaluate how the technology handles unpredictable environmental variables. With the hardware now active, the company’s research team will monitor how wind, rain, ultraviolet radiation, native microbes, and temperature fluctuations alter CO2 uptake and mineral conversion rates. The deployment will also track the long-term impact of the dissolution process on local water quality.
Data gathered from these real-world conditions will dictate the pace of future engineering work. While the current focus remains on monitoring the Wyoming site, leadership is already planning the next phase of expansion.
Scaling Toward the Atlantic Carbon Mineral Hub
Looking ahead, Aquarry intends to target abandoned asbestos mines in Baie Verte, located in the Canadian province of Newfoundland. Once a dominant global exporter of asbestos, Canada left behind massive physical footprints of that industrial era. Baie Verte holds 50 million tonnes of asbestos tailings alongside an additional 250 million tonnes of waste rock.
Those specific geological deposits offer ideal chemical feedstock for Aquarry’s operations. Because asbestos features a high magnesium content, it acts as an effective alkaline mineral for trapping carbon. The company’s wet-process technology avoids generating harmful airborne dust during handling.
To execute this next chapter, Aquarry has partnered with BAIE Minerals as part of the Atlantic Carbon Mineral Hub. The collaboration aims to generate revenue through carbon credits while simultaneously reclaiming the pit lake at the site.
Engineering work and asbestos-specific laboratory trials are scheduled for 2027. Those studies will lay the groundwork for an on-site demonstration in Baie Verte during the summer of 2028. To bankroll these upcoming deployments, the startup is launching a new fundraising round this November, with final financial details expected soon.
