ALROSA is preparing the country’s first climate change project for the natural absorption of CO2 on kimberlite rocks in order to enhance the natural sequestration of carbon dioxide and reduce the carbon footprint of mining diamonds.
The company announced the launch of a pilot climate project with reference to Anastasia Gabrashitova, director of the Ecological Center, during a session of the UN Global Compact Network Russia, held on the eve of the COP30 climate summit. The new project should use the natural ability of kimberlites to bind and long-term retain CO2, converting bosom into a natural “filter” for greenhouse gases.
Together with scientists from Russian institutes, ALROSA conducted research at fields in Yakutia and the Arkhangelsk region for several years. The results obtained made it possible to quantify the natural absorption of CO2: it was confirmed that kimberlite ores bind over 1 million tons of CO2 equivalent per year, which is comparable to the work of a large forest.
In 2025, ALROSA designated carbon neutrality of its operations due to the natural absorption of CO2 by kimberlites. This fact was confirmed by independent international auditors. At the same time, about half of ALROSA’s energy consumption is provided by renewable sources, but the unique properties of rocks became the decisive factor in verification.
According to research results, carbon captured by kimberlite is fixed in stable mineral compounds and does not return to the atmosphere. Scientists note that the process of CO2 mineralization in kimberlites is irreversible: carbon dioxide turns into stable carbonates, which makes such natural absorption a reliable element of climate policy.
At the next stage, ALROSA will launch a climate project in Mirny, which is aimed at enhancing the natural processes of CO2 mineralization in dumps and storage facilities of kimberlite ore. If the methodology is confirmed, this will be the first initiative solution in Russia in the field of natural CCS technologies and one of the few similar examples in the global mining industry.
ALROSA’s project on natural absorption of CO2 on kimberlites shows how the properties of rocks can become a working tool for achieving carbon neutrality and reducing climate risks. If the pilot in Mirny confirms the calculations, natural CCS technologies on kimberlites could give the company and the industry a new competitive advantage against the backdrop of the global energy transition.
The material was prepared with the support of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science as part of the Decade of Science and Technology.
Source: alrosa.ru, dprom.
