Launching OpenAir's 2027 Carbon Removal Challenge

​Join us as we launch the OpenAir Collective's 2027 Carbon Removal Challenge! Students from 2026 winning teams will give us the inside scoop on what it's like to participate in the Challenge, present at the Final Showcase, and network with carbon removal leaders at Carbon Unbound. We'll also hear about their experiences with the Challenge's mentoring program, visiting a startup, and one team's very own startup. We'll leave time for audience Q&A, so bring your questions!

​Joseph Lee, a PhD candidate at Cornell University, will represent the "Gigatonne Bio" team from Cornell, Princeton, and Columbia Universities. Their solution converts mine waste into permanent CO2 removal and critical metals with engineered bio-mining bacteria.

​Karoline Hebisch, a postdoctoral researcher, will represent the Multidimensional Molecular Materials Laboratory (MMML) team from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Their “Solvent-Free Manufacturing of Electrified Structured Sorbents for Scalable Direct Air Capture” project enables high-density architectures with roll-to-roll scalability for efficient system integration.

​Jackson Kaszas, a PhD candidate, will represent Rutgers University's "C3W" (Carbon Capture with Concrete Waste) team. Their project uses a novel mineral separation technology combined with well-established waste management and carbon mineralization methods to enable utilization of concrete waste as a CO2 sorbent.

For more information about the Carbon Removal Challenge and how you can participate as a student, organizer, judge, mentor, partner, donor, or sponsor, visit https://openaircollective.com/CRC.