Carbon removal startup Graphyte today announced that American Airlines will be its inaugural customer, with the purchase of 10,000 tons of permanent carbon removal to be delivered in early 2025.  

Graphyte utilizes a Carbon Casting approach to carbon removal, which dries and compresses biomass–such as residues from timber and farming operations–into dense carbon blocks, protected by an environmentally-safe, impermeable polymer barrier and stores them in monitored underground sites. The company said the process preserves nearly all the carbon captured in the biomass and consumes very little energy, creating a low cost and highly scalable carbon removal approach.

This first commercial-scale deployment of Carbon Casting will take place at a Graphyte facility in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, which sits at an intersection of major agricultural and timber production areas.

Barclay Rogers, CEO of Graphyte, said:

“This is a landmark agreement for both Graphyte and American Airlines. It demonstrates the growing demand for affordable and scalable high-quality carbon removal credits and the ability of Carbon Casting technology to make a significant impact in the fight against climate change in the very near term.”

American has committed to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, and is investing in a variety of technologies to reduce its carbon footprint. While the company said that its primary focus is on reducing emissions in its operations, it noted a role for the use of carbon credits in addressing residual emissions.

Jill Blickstein, Chief Sustainability Officer at American Airlines, said:

“American is focused on accelerating new low-carbon technologies to reduce aviation’s climate impact. Hard to abate industries like aviation will need high-quality, permanent, affordable and scalable carbon credits — including removals — to achieve our emissions reduction goals.”