US: Harvard scientists engineer ocean bacteria to remove carbon directly from the air

Harvard-led researchers genetically engineered a marine bacterium to accelerate olivine weathering.

The bacterium continuously produced iron-binding siderophores that removed rust from olivine, increasing weathering rates 2.6-fold.

Pilot bioreactors using seawater and olivine sand removed about 0.5 grams of atmospheric carbon dioxide per day.

Scaling the approach will require addressing costs, mineral sourcing, ecological impacts, and net emissions.