Iowa State University team scores $1M XPRIZE Carbon Removal award

In Iowa, an Iowa State University research team that helped develop a demonstration-scale pyrolyzer capable of sequestering thousands of tons of carbon dioxide a year has received a prestigious milestone award from XPRIZE Carbon Removal, it was announced on Friday.

The milestone prize provides $1 million to the carbon removal team at the Bioeconomy Institute to help advance its vision of using pyrolysis to remove carbon dioxide, a major greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere, thus slowing climate change. The carbon removal team is also in the running for an even larger award from XPRIZE of up to $50 million that will be determined in 2025. XPRIZE announced 15 milestone awards on Friday to coincide with Earth Day, selecting the winners from a field of 1,133 teams seeking to combat climate change by finding innovative means of removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.