Scientific Conferences
At Andes, our approach to Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) is grounded in rigorous scientific research and data. We regularly present our findings to the scientific community at leading global conferences.
Below, you will find our latest research presented at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Annual Meeting 2025. These posters detail the mechanisms, modeling, and field validation of our microbial technology.
Application of Reactive Transport Modeling to Quantify Microbially Enhanced Weathering from a Soil Mesocosm Experiment
AGU 2025 - New Orleans, LA, USA
To validate and quantify the experimental results from our CDR studies, this research uses the CrunchTope Reactive Transport Model (RTM). By modeling the geochemistry of the soil mesocosms, we constrained the kinetics of the weathering process. The study confirms that the formation of secondary minerals (calcium carbonates) acts as a sink for weathering products, preventing saturation and allowing the weathering process to continue at accelerated rates.
Key Findings:
• Modeling Validation: The reactive transport model successfully reproduced the temporal evolution of leachate pH and cation concentrations observed in the physical experiments.
• Coupled Processes: The model identified that anorthite (a calcium-rich feldspar) weathering coupled with secondary calcite formation is the primary driver of the observed carbon removal.
• Rate Quantification: Simulations that best matched the experimental data indicated that the anorthite weathering rate constant in MP1-treated soils was roughly 10 times higher than the baseline.
• Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR): The model simulations were consistent with experimental estimates of CDR based on soil inorganic carbon measurements.
Harnessing Microbes to Weather Native Silicates in Agricultural Soils for Scalable Carbon Dioxide Removal
AGU 2025 - New Orleans, LA, USA
This study provides a comprehensive look at how Andes' beneficial microorganism, Bacillus subtilis strain MP1, accelerates the natural silicate weathering process. The research spans from in vitro laboratory characterization to mesocosm studies and large-scale field trials. The results demonstrate that MP1 forms biofilms on mineral surfaces, creating specific microenvironments that significantly accelerate the release of base cations and the subsequent precipitation of stable carbonates.
Key Findings:
• Mechanism: MP1 forms robust biofilms on feldspar surfaces, generating a low pH microenvironment at the mineral interface for dissolution and a high pH environment at the biofilm surface for carbonate precipitation.
• Accelerated Weathering: In controlled soil columns, MP1 enhanced the native silicate weathering rate by over 6 times compared to untreated controls.
• Carbon Storage: Soil Inorganic Carbon (SIC) increased by 20% in MP1-treated soil columns.
• Field Performance: In a large-scale trial across 847 hectares in North Dakota, USA, MP1 treatment resulted in a gross accrual of 2.02 tonnes of inorganic Carbon per hectare annually.
• Agronomic Benefits: Soybean grain yield increased by 7.5% (0.21 tonnes/ha), and soils showed improved pH buffering compared to controls.
Andes is building a collaborative ecosystem to scale microbial carbon dioxide mineralization globally. Whether you are a researcher, an organization looking to support high-integrity carbon dioxide removal science, or an industry innovator, we want to hear from you. Let’s accelerate the path to scale carbon dioxide removal together.