Operation of Olivine Stone

In memory of

Olaf Schuling

Professor, doctor, geologist, researcher and professor of geochemistry. How you know Olaf depends on where you met him. For us, Olaf will always be the Olivine Father. The founder of the ideology and movement focused on the natural solution of the climate problem. Olaf is the founder of greenSand. The company is built entirely on the scientific research and evidence he has collected over the years.

"Let's help the earth save the earth" - Olaf Schuiling

olaf was not an inventor but a discoverer

Taken from nature

Olaf has copied the Olivine concept against climate change from nature. After a calculation he found out that: If all CO₂ emitted by volcanoes were still in the atmosphere, life would no longer be possible on earth.

Virtually all the excess CO₂ that has entered the atmosphere since the earth was formed has been removed by a simple geological process. That process is the weathering of rocks, part of the Earth's CO₂ cycle.

Buy your copy of Olaf's booklet about Olivine here

Hoe werkt olivijn?

Deltares onderzoeker Jos Vink legt aan omroep Delft uit wat olivijn doet, hoe het werkt, wat Deltares heeft onderzocht en hoe olivijn ingezet kan worden in de strijd tegen klimaatverandering.

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1 kg of greenSand removes an average of 1 kg of CO₂

The total absorption capacity depends, among other things, on the composition of the rock, the temperature and the amount of CO₂ in the air.

By using greenSand Olivine as a replacement in as many applications as possible worldwide, we can permanently capture a large part of the CO₂ surplus in a natural way. The more surface area the more CO₂ we remove.

Grounded in Science

Mg2SiO4 + 4 CO2 + 2 H2O => 2 Mg2+ + 4HCO3- + SiO2

Olivine-rich rock and sand weather like iron rusts. During weathering, the olivine reacts with CO₂ (acid) and water (rain). The chemical reaction releases silicate, bicarbonate and magnesium. These are in turn important nutrients for the plants.

Good for soil and air

Because the CO₂ is converted into other substances, it can no longer be released. As long as it doesn't reach 1600 degrees on Earth, it is a permanent solution for capturing CO₂.

The end product of the chemical reaction also has a deacidifying effect on the soil. Magnesium is a natural substitute for lime, which ensures greener leaves and stronger stems. This makes greenSand Olivine healthy for the air and the soil.

Olivine weathering rate

The rule of thumb is: the smaller the gradation, the faster it weathers. Grades below 1 mm weather up to 70% within the first hundred years.

Even smaller grades, such as our greenSand Olivine powder (found in the sprinklers and buckets), can weather completely (~95%) within 30 years. This powder has a grain size of approximately 30μm (0.03mm!).

The graph on the right shows the weathering rates based on lab testing. However, we believe that the weathering process goes even faster under natural conditions.

Better than trees

Planting trees is often seen as the ultimate climate solution. But did you know that a tree only clears up CO₂ after +/- 50 years? In addition, trees release all the captured CO₂ after their lifespan.

Olivine permanently removes the CO₂. Under normal circumstances, the CO₂ will never be released again, even if the stone crumbles. This actually speeds up the weathering!