Carboniferous

What Carboniferous does

Carboniferous is a private, pre-revenue carbon dioxide removal (CDR) company founded in 2021 and headquartered in Oakland, California, operating as a remote-first team of 1-10 employees. The company has developed a process called Marine Anoxic Carbon Storage (MACS), also referred to as Anoxic Biological Carbon Sequestration (ABCS), which preserves agricultural byproducts—primarily sugarcane bagasse and corn stover—in deep, hypersaline, anoxic basins located approximately 2,400 meters below the ocean surface in the Gulf of Mexico. The anoxic conditions arrest biomass decomposition, achieving claimed carbon sequestration permanence of at least 1,000 years. The company's flagship initiative is a 20-tonne field experiment in the Orca Basin, 168 miles off the Louisiana coast, authorized under a March 2026 EPA Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) research permit.

The technical foundation rests on custom Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) equipment, including deep-ocean landers with sensors for monitoring biomass degradation rates. Key partnerships span UCSB's NOISE Lab (peer-reviewed scientific research on organic carbon preservation), LUMCON (research vessel operations), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (sampler engineering), and Isometric (independent carbon removal verification). The company's go-to-market is structured as direct B2B partnerships with farmers for biomass sourcing and with corporations seeking verified CDR credits for sustainability commitments.

Carboniferous intends to monetize through the sale of carbon dioxide removal credits once the MACS process is validated and scaled, with long-term targets of 1 million metric tonnes of CO2 removal per year and ultimately more than 1 gigaton annually. Disclosed funding to date is approximately $250,000 from a 2023 Frontier R&D Grant, and the company has not yet generated commercial revenue. Pricing per tonne of CO2 removed has not been publicly disclosed.

Name

Carboniferous

Legal name

Carboniferous Inc.

Website

https://carboniferous.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Carboniferous is a pre-revenue carbon removal company developing Marine Anoxic Carbon Storage (MACS), which preserves agricultural biomass in deep ocean anoxic basins to achieve permanent CO2 sequestration. The company is preparing a 20-tonne field experiment in the Gulf of Mexico's Orca Basin.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Carbon Dioxide Removal Services

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Timber Tract Operations (11311)

SIC

Forestry (800), Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Ocean-Based Carbon Removal (Alkalinity Enhancement, Seaweed, Ocean Biomass Sinking) (EUABAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Carbon Removal Project Development, Financing & Offtake (Developers, Aggregators, Buyers Clubs) (EUABAFAL), Carbon Removal Measurement, Monitoring & Verification (Removal MRV & Durability) (EUABAFAK)

Keywords

• Carbon dioxide removal
• Carbon sequestration services
• Marine carbon storage
• Biomass carbon capture
• Climate technology services

Headquarters

HQ city

Oakland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Carbon Dioxide Removal Credits: The company is developing a carbon removal process and plans to generate revenue through carbon dioxide removal credits. They partner with organizations like Isometric to evaluate measurements and verify carbon removal. The company is in research phase with a 20-tonne field test planned for 2026.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Carboniferous develops and operates Marine Anoxic Carbon Storage (MACS), a large-scale carbon dioxide removal process that preserves excess agricultural biomass (sugarcane bagasse, corn stover) in deep, hypersaline, anoxic basins on the ocean floor, preventing carbon decomposition for 1,000+ years. The company manages the full chain — biomass sourcing from farmers, processing, maritime transport via the Mississippi River, deep-ocean placement, and continuous MRV — to generate verified, permanent carbon removal credits for corporate buyers.

Product overview

Carboniferous offers a single unified product called Marine Anoxic Carbon Storage (MACS), also referred to as Anoxic Biological Carbon Sequestration (ABCS). This is a carbon dioxide removal technology that stores unused agricultural plant matter (biomass such as sugarcane bagasse and corn stover) in naturally occurring, underwater brine pools called anoxic basins. The company's research subsidiary initiative, the Orca Basin Research Project, is a field experiment conducting a 20-tonne test of the MACS process in the Orca Basin off the coast of Louisiana. There are no separate modules, add-on products, or platform architecture—the offering is a single, integrated carbon sequestration process.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marine Anoxic Carbon Storage (MACS) A large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR) service that preserves excess agricultural biomass (e.g., sugarcane bagasse, corn stover) in deep, hypersaline, oxygen-free (anoxic) basins on the ocean floor, preventing carbon decomposition for 1,000+ years. Delivered to corporations and institutions as verified carbon removal credits, with the full operational chain managed by Carboniferous: biomass sourcing from farmers, processing, maritime transport via the Mississippi River, deep-ocean placement, and continuous MRV.
• Orca Basin Research Project A 20-tonne field experiment deploying compressed sugarcane bagasse bales into the Orca Basin, an anoxic brine pool 2,400 meters below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, to validate biomass degradation rates and MRV systems at scale for the MACS carbon sequestration process.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 tonne of dry terrestrial biomass embodies approximately 1.6 tonnes of CO2 equivalent
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026EPA issued Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) research permit for the Orca Basin project following close coordination and two public comment periods. The EPA approved placement of 20 one-tonne bales of compressed sugarcane bagasse in the Orca Basin.
• UCSB NOISE LabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with Dr. Morgan Reed Raven's NOISE Lab at the University of California Santa Barbara, which investigates mechanisms of organic carbon breakdown in low-oxygen environments. The lab has received funding from NSF, NASA, and private foundations for this research. Their research confirms that anoxic brine pools can be exceptional sites for safe, long-term organic carbon preservation.
• LUMCON (Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLUMCON provides research vessels (R/V Point Sur) for deployment and recovery operations. The Orca Basin project will require 4-5 vessel transits using LUMCON ships on established routes. LUMCON collaboration enables the scientific fieldwork necessary for the 20-tonne field experiment.
• IsometricmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarboniferous partners with Isometric, a science-driven organization, to evaluate the measurements they perform and the carbon they remove. This creates an operational environment that puts monitoring, reporting and verification at the center of their operations.
• Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngineering collaboration for sampler manufacturing and testing in preparation for the Orca Basin research project. Part of the 2.5-year project timeline.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• CarbonCapture Inc. CarbonCapture Inc. is a U.S.-based DAC company developing modular direct air capture systems. Comparable peer: shares the voluntary durable CDR market and Frontier buyer relationship, though focused on DAC rather than ocean biomass burial.
• SeaO2 Energy: SeaO2 uses ocean alkalinity enhancement for carbon removal at pilot scale. Comparable peer: emerging ocean-based CDR company with similar frontier-stage profile and reliance on voluntary market buyers.
• Heirloom Carbon: Heirloom uses limestone-based DAC technology to capture CO2 and mineralize it in concrete. Comparable peer: same Frontier buyer relationship, same voluntary CDR market focus, though operating in DAC rather than ocean biomass burial.

Regional players

• Octavia Carbon: Octavia Carbon is a Kenya-based CDR developer pursuing both DAC and ocean alkalinity enhancement. Comparable peer: shares the durable ocean-based CDR thesis and Frontier buyer relationship, but primarily operates in Africa rather than the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Direct peers

• Charm Industrial: Charm converts agricultural biomass into bio-oil and injects it underground for permanent carbon storage. Comparable peer: same feedstock (agricultural biomass), same target customer (Frontier and voluntary CDR buyers), and same durability thesis (>1,000 year storage), with differentiated delivery mechanism.
• Graphyte: Graphyte permanently stores carbon from agricultural biomass using a cellulose-based binding process. Comparable peer: same agricultural biomass feedstock, same durable removal thesis, and same target buyer segment (Frontier and corporate offtake).
• Running Tide: Running Tide sinks terrestrial biomass (and macroalgae) into the deep ocean for carbon removal. Most directly comparable peer: both companies pursue ocean-based biomass sinking as a durable CDR pathway, with similar feedstock sourcing and offshore deployment models.
• Captura: Captura uses electrochemical ocean CDR to extract CO2 from seawater and produce hydrogen. Comparable peer: same end market (voluntary durable CDR buyers), adjacent technology pathway (ocean-based removal), and similar early-stage scale-up profile.
• Equatic: Equatic removes CO2 via ocean electrochemical processes that also produce hydrogen. Comparable peer: both target ocean-based durable CDR and partner with Frontier; Equatic pursues dissolved bicarbonate storage while Carboniferous pursues biomass burial in anoxic basins.

Broad incumbents

• Climeworks: Climeworks is the largest commercial DAC company with operational plants globally. Comparable as a CDR industry peer pursuing durable removal credits for the same buyer base, though using a different (DAC) technological pathway at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carboniferous