Whitepaper: Beyond Extraction: Transforming Mine Waste into a Net Zero, Multibillion-Dollar Opportunity
Authored by Arca, nonprofit consultancy The Climate Agency, and former Financial Times Natural Resources Correspondent Will MacNamara, the white paper outlines how mine waste consisting of mafic and ultramafic rock can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at scale—representing one of the great untapped resources for a low-carbon economy.
In this white paper we examine the geological potential, technical innovations, commercial pathways, public incentives and sustainability benefits of this multibillion-dollar opportunity.

Webinars and Videos
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The Carbon is Mine with Sean and Sam
Open replayThe Meet the Fluxers Podcast speaks with Arca’s Samuel Keller, Field Scientist and Sean Lowrie, Head of External Affairs. Flux-measuring land rovers, flux towers, proprietary algorithms, and field surveys are all helping to maximize the process of terrestrial carbon mineralization at Arca’s pilot study site in Western Australia.
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Mining CDR: Inside the world’s first protocol
Open replayLearn about the development of Isometric’s Open System Ex-situ Mineralization (OSEM) Protocol, the challenges and opportunities in scaling mining-based CDR, and Arca’s experience deploying these technologies in the field.
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Deep Dives with DPI: Sean Lowrie
Open replayHear from Arca’s Head of External Affairs Sean Lowrie in this episode of Deep Dives with DPI – a podcast that explores how mining can navigate sustainability, social responsibility and the energy transition. In conversation with Florence Drummond, Executive Director at Development Partner Institute, Sean shares Arca’s community-first approach to climate projects, which was developed together with First Nations Major Projects Coalition.
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Is Mineralization the Answer to CDR’s Scaling Challenges?
Open replayIs mineralization the answer to CDR’s scaling challenges? We explore this question in a webinar hosted by Wil Burns from the Institute of Responsible Carbon Removal.
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Innovative Carbon Removal Technologies: Mining Waste to Carbon Capture Solution
Open replayIn this webinar hosted by Zero Carbon Mine, Tamsin Senders, General Manager of Arca Australia, shares how Arca is exploring and deploying a suite of technologies that accelerate the natural process of mineral carbonation, removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
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Connecting carbon removal to existing industries
Open replayJoin Paul Needham of Arca, Joachim Katchinoff of CREW Carbon, Natalie K. of CO280, Rhys Savage of Isometric and Julia Reichelstein of Vaulted Deep for a LinkedIn Live conversation hosted by the Carbon Removal Alliance about how sectors like mining, wastewater, and pulp and paper can support the growth of carbon removal.
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Beyond Extraction: Transforming Mine Waste into a Net Zero, Multibillion-Dollar Opportunity
Open replayThis on-demand webinar brings together an expert panel exploring how mine waste can be repurposed to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere at scale.
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Inbetween Stories Episode 3: Carbon
Open replayTrees alone can’t suck all of the CO2 out of our atmosphere. In this episode of Inbetween Stories by Telus Storyhive, Allison Gacad speaks with Metro Vancouver’s carbon removal pioneers including Arca’s Dr. Greg Dipple to find out what else can prevent further climate consequences.
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Critical Metals: The case for carbon mineralization
Open replayPaul Needham of Arca joins Tom Heintzman, Managing Director and Vice Chair, Energy Transition and Sustainability, CIBC Capital Markets, to discuss the case for carbon mineralization as a climate solution, the technologies transforming CO2 from the air into solid carbonate minerals, and the potential marketplace benefits for companies producing carbon-negative minerals and metals.
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The future of mining needs to be carbon negative
Open replayThe Carbon Curve’s Na’im Merchant speaks with Paul Needham about the potential for accelerated carbon mineralization using mine waste as a carbon dioxide removal (CDR) method to decarbonize mining.
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The Quest for a Carbon Neutral Future: Removal, Storage and Sequestration
Open replayThe Quest for a Carbon Neutral Future: Removal, Storage and Sequestration with Bethany Ladd, Co-Founder & Head of Operations, Arca; Andy Mercy, CRO, Myno Carbon; and Sarah Saltzer, Managing Director, Stanford Center for Carbon Storage.
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From Here Forward: Turning mining waste into climate gold
Open replayCarol and Rumneek of the From Here Forward Podcast speak with Dr. Greg Dipple, a professor of Geological Sciences at UBC. His company is a recent winner of the $1 Million X Prize backed by the Elon Musk Foundation, funding breakthroughs on the world’s most pressing problems. Learn about his approach that uses mining waste for carbon capture.
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This Is CDR Episode 37: Carbin Minerals with Dr. Greg Dipple & Paul Needham
Open replayThis Is CDR is an ongoing series of online events to explore the range of carbon dioxide removal solutions that are currently in development. In this episode, This is CDR welcomes Arca (formerly Carbin Minerals) CEO Paul Needham and Chief Science Officer Dr. Greg Dipple to tell us how the company accelerates natural mineralization processes to unlock the enormous carbon removal potential of mine tailings.
Publications
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A Methodology for Permanent Carbon Removal via Ex-Situ Carbon Mineralization in Ultramafic Mine Waste
Read moreArielle Hogan, Beatrice Kigodi, Dr. Elizabeth Troein
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Beyond Extraction: Transforming Mine Waste into a Net Zero, Multibillion-Dollar Opportunity
Read moreArca, The Climate Agency, Will MacNamara
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Strategizing carbon-neutral mines: A case for pilot projects
Read moreIan M Power, Jenine McCutcheon, Anna L Harrison, Siobhan A Wilson, Gregory M Dipple, Simone Kelly, Colette Southam, Gordon Southam
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Offsetting of CO2 emissions by air capture in mine tailings at the Mount Keith Nickel Mine, Western Australia: Rates, controls and prospects for carbon neutral mining
Read moreSiobhan A Wilson, Anna L Harrison, Gregory M Dipple, Ian M Power, Shaun LL Barker, K Ulrich Mayer, Stewart J Fallon, Mati Raudsepp, Gordon Southam
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Rate and capacity of cation release from ultramafic mine tailings for carbon capture and storage
Read moreXueya Lu, Kate J Carroll, Connor C Turvey, Gregory M Dipple