Alt Carbon Launches State-of-the-Art Darjeeling Climate Action Lab (D-CAL) to Drive Gigaton Scale Carbon Removal from India
Alt Carbon Launches State-of-the-Art Darjeeling Climate Action Lab (D-CAL) to Drive Gigaton Scale Carbon Removal from India
November 22, 2024, Darjeeling,India — Alt Carbon, a pioneering force in India’s Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) sector, proudly announces the inauguration of its Darjeeling Climate Action Lab (D-CAL) in Bagdogra, a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to advancing Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) research and applications. Unveiled during the Futures Summit 2024, India's first CDR-focused climate conference, the lab reflects Alt Carbon’s commitment to enhancing scientific capacity in India and fostering innovation in the region, & addressing critical climate challenges impacting Darjeeling’s tea industry.
November 22, 2024, Darjeeling,India — Alt Carbon, a pioneering force in India’s Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) sector, proudly announces the inauguration of its Darjeeling Climate Action Lab (D-CAL) in Bagdogra, a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to advancing Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) research and applications. Unveiled during the Futures Summit 2024, India's first CDR-focused climate conference, the lab reflects Alt Carbon’s commitment to enhancing scientific capacity in India and fostering innovation in the region, & addressing critical climate challenges impacting Darjeeling’s tea industry.
The Darjeeling Climate Action Lab (D-CAL) was inaugurated by a distinguished group of leaders in climate action and business. Mr. Yusuke Tsuji, Deputy General Manager of Mitsubishi Corporation’s Carbon Management Department, and Mr. P.D. Singh, Eminent Banker, joined hands with Ms. Anahitaa Bakshi from ACT, who leads their environmental vertical. Dr. Sambuddha Misra, Associate Professor at the Centre for Earth Sciences (CEaS), IISc Bangalore and Chief Scientist at Alt Carbon, provided scientific expertise for the lab’s setup.
The Darjeeling Climate Action Lab (D-CAL) was inaugurated by a distinguished group of leaders in climate action and business. Mr. Yusuke Tsuji, Deputy General Manager of Mitsubishi Corporation’s Carbon Management Department, and Mr. P.D. Singh, Eminent Banker, joined hands with Ms. Anahitaa Bakshi from ACT, who leads their environmental vertical. Dr. Sambuddha Misra, Associate Professor at the Centre for Earth Sciences (CEaS), IISc Bangalore and Chief Scientist at Alt Carbon, provided scientific expertise for the lab’s setup.
From Left to Right: Yusuke Tsuji (Mitsubishi), PD Singh (Eminent Banker), Shrey Agarwal (Alt Carbon), Anahitaa Bakshi (ACT), Dr. Sambuddha Misra (IISc Bangalore/Alt Carbon), Sparsh Agarwal (Alt Carbon) and Pradip Bhowmick (Alt Carbon)
The lab was envisioned and brought to life by Alt Carbon’s Co-Founders, Shrey Agarwal and Sparsh Agarwal, who aim to make D-CAL a hub for climate innovation in India.
With newly enabled support from ACT - an Indian venture philanthropy platform - the lab will soon be equipped with advanced technology and enable Alt Carbon to accelerate the scaling of Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) technology by driving down the cost of carbon removal credits and propelling the sector forward by offering the D-CAL as a low-cost MRV service to other ERW players in India.
From Left to Right: Yusuke Tsuji (Mitsubishi), PD Singh (Eminent Banker), Shrey Agarwal (Alt Carbon), Anahitaa Bakshi (ACT), Dr. Sambuddha Misra (IISc Bangalore/Alt Carbon), Sparsh Agarwal (Alt Carbon) and Pradip Bhowmick (Alt Carbon)
The lab was envisioned and brought to life by Alt Carbon’s Co-Founders, Shrey Agarwal and Sparsh Agarwal, who aim to make D-CAL a hub for climate innovation in India.
With newly enabled support from ACT - an Indian venture philanthropy platform - the lab will soon be equipped with advanced technology and enable Alt Carbon to accelerate the scaling of Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) technology by driving down the cost of carbon removal credits and propelling the sector forward by offering the D-CAL as a low-cost MRV service to other ERW players in India.
"At ACT For Environment, we believe engineered direct carbon removal solutions not only hold tremendous potential for environmental impact but also offer robust verification protocols from a credit issuance perspective. We're very supportive of Alt Carbon's vision to set up the D-CAL as an advanced in-house MRV system as it will not only accelerate their ability to create outsized climate impact at scale but also help unlock the larger ERW ecosystem's potential for carbon removal by presenting a low-cost service to other domestic initiatives, thus addressing current industry challenges." said Ms. Alankrita Khera, Director, ACT for Environment.
"At ACT For Environment, we believe engineered direct carbon removal solutions not only hold tremendous potential for environmental impact but also offer robust verification protocols from a credit issuance perspective. We're very supportive of Alt Carbon's vision to set up the D-CAL as an advanced in-house MRV system as it will not only accelerate their ability to create outsized climate impact at scale but also help unlock the larger ERW ecosystem's potential for carbon removal by presenting a low-cost service to other domestic initiatives, thus addressing current industry challenges." said Ms. Alankrita Khera, Director, ACT for Environment.
In response to significant market shifts and climate challenges, Alt Carbon launched the Darjeeling Revival Project (DRP) earlier this year, transforming tea estates into sustainable hubs of climate action through Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW). Alt Carbon's carbon removal credits from the DRP have already attracted prominent buyers, including Frontier and NextGen CDR. NextGen CDR's purchase, marking its first outside Europe and the US, opens India’s CDR market to global buyers like Boston Consulting Group, LGT Group, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, SwissRe, and UBS. Forbes recently covered this landmark agreement. Meanwhile, Frontier—an advance market commitment (AMC) to purchase over $1 billion in permanent carbon removal solutions by 2030, founded by Stripe, Alphabet, Meta, Shopify, and McKinsey Sustainability—demonstrates its commitment to accelerating CDR development by guaranteeing future demand.
In response to significant market shifts and climate challenges, Alt Carbon launched the Darjeeling Revival Project (DRP) earlier this year, transforming tea estates into sustainable hubs of climate action through Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW). Alt Carbon's carbon removal credits from the DRP have already attracted prominent buyers, including Frontier and NextGen CDR. NextGen CDR's purchase, marking its first outside Europe and the US, opens India’s CDR market to global buyers like Boston Consulting Group, LGT Group, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, SwissRe, and UBS. Forbes recently covered this landmark agreement. Meanwhile, Frontier—an advance market commitment (AMC) to purchase over $1 billion in permanent carbon removal solutions by 2030, founded by Stripe, Alphabet, Meta, Shopify, and McKinsey Sustainability—demonstrates its commitment to accelerating CDR development by guaranteeing future demand.
The new Darjeeling Climate Action Lab addresses a critical bottleneck in Alt Carbon’s CDR expansion—advanced laboratory analysis. In India, a shortage of specialized labs equipped to conduct high-precision analyses, such as isotope analysis, ICP-OES and X-ray diffraction (XRD), limits CDR project scalability. Alt Carbon’s D-CAL will overcome this constraint, processing up to 600,000 samples annually by 2025, with future capacity increases planned.
The new Darjeeling Climate Action Lab addresses a critical bottleneck in Alt Carbon’s CDR expansion—advanced laboratory analysis. In India, a shortage of specialized labs equipped to conduct high-precision analyses, such as isotope analysis, ICP-OES and X-ray diffraction (XRD), limits CDR project scalability. Alt Carbon’s D-CAL will overcome this constraint, processing up to 600,000 samples annually by 2025, with future capacity increases planned.
“If India is to become a manufacturing hub for scaling carbon removal, we need to invest in scientific infrastructure, high quality research, & upskilling talent. This is why we created Darjeeling-Climate Action Lab, which has already started hiring from local universities in the region as well,” said Shrey Agarwal, CEO of Alt Carbon.
“If India is to become a manufacturing hub for scaling carbon removal, we need to invest in scientific infrastructure, high quality research, & upskilling talent. This is why we created Darjeeling-Climate Action Lab, which has already started hiring from local universities in the region as well,” said Shrey Agarwal, CEO of Alt Carbon.
Built within a remarkable timeframe of just 1 month and 10 days, D-CAL transformed a run-down office at the Kamala Tea Estate, Alt Carbon’s first ERW site, into a modern laboratory outfitted with a dedicated clean-lab setup essential for soil sample preparation. The lab also creates catalytic impact through local job creation and youth training. Collaborations with academic institutions, including North Bengal University, NIT Sikkim, and Sikkim University, ensure a steady flow of local talent, while partnerships with Thermo Fisher Scientific India and Tarsons, Kolkata ensure reliable equipment sourcing.
Built within a remarkable timeframe of just 1 month and 10 days, D-CAL transformed a run-down office at the Kamala Tea Estate, Alt Carbon’s first ERW site, into a modern laboratory outfitted with a dedicated clean-lab setup essential for soil sample preparation. The lab also creates catalytic impact through local job creation and youth training. Collaborations with academic institutions, including North Bengal University, NIT Sikkim, and Sikkim University, ensure a steady flow of local talent, while partnerships with Thermo Fisher Scientific India and Tarsons, Kolkata ensure reliable equipment sourcing.
“Alt Carbon’s D-CAL aligns with the company’s vision to make India a leader in climate solutions, creating a robust framework for India’s R&D in geochemical analysis and fostering breakthroughs in CDR from South Asia. As Alt Carbon continues its journey, D-CAL stands as a symbol of hope and transformation—rooted in heritage, driven by innovation, and dedicated to a sustainable future,” said Mr. P.D Singh, Eminent Banker.
“Alt Carbon’s D-CAL aligns with the company’s vision to make India a leader in climate solutions, creating a robust framework for India’s R&D in geochemical analysis and fostering breakthroughs in CDR from South Asia. As Alt Carbon continues its journey, D-CAL stands as a symbol of hope and transformation—rooted in heritage, driven by innovation, and dedicated to a sustainable future,” said Mr. P.D Singh, Eminent Banker.
About Alt Carbon
Alt Carbon is a CO2 Removal (CDR) company based out of India transforming Darjeeling’s struggling tea industry from being at-risk from the effects of climate change, to becoming pioneers for climate action. Alt Carbon is on a mission to capture vast amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere through Enhanced Rock Weathering. Its ambitious goal is to remove 5M MT of CO2 by 2030, with the ultimate aim of reaching a billion tons - for good.For more information please visit https://www.alt-carbon.com/ or follow via LinkedIn.
About Alt Carbon
Alt Carbon is a CO2 Removal (CDR) company based out of India transforming Darjeeling’s struggling tea industry from being at-risk from the effects of climate change, to becoming pioneers for climate action. Alt Carbon is on a mission to capture vast amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere through Enhanced Rock Weathering. Its ambitious goal is to remove 5M MT of CO2 by 2030, with the ultimate aim of reaching a billion tons - for good.For more information please visit https://www.alt-carbon.com/ or follow via LinkedIn.
Notes to Editors
For media inquiries, please contact: hi@alt-carbon.com
Notes to Editors
For media inquiries, please contact: hi@alt-carbon.com
Address
Alt Carbon Tech Pvt. Ltd, 240/B, 3rd floor, A.J.C. Bose Road, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Address
Alt Carbon Tech Pvt. Ltd, 240/B, 3rd floor, A.J.C. Bose Road, Kolkata, West Bengal, India