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2026 Vol.31, Issue 3

Review

Feedstock Availability and Supply Potential for Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW)-Based Carbon Dioxide Removal: A Focus on South Korea

강화 암석 풍화(ERW) 기반 탄소 제거 기술의 원료 가용성 및 공급 잠재력: 국내 적용을 중심으로

KangHee Cho12
,
SangRae Kim3
,
SeongJik Park4
,
JinChul Joo5
,
NagChoul Choi12*
조 강희12
,
김 상래3
,
박 성직4
,
주 진철5
,
최 낙철12*
1Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
2Center for Mineral Resources Research, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea
3External Cooperation Office, Korea Conformity Laboratories, Korea
4Department of Bioresources and Rural System Engineering, Hankyong National University, Korea
5Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Hanbat National University, Korea
1고려대학교 지구환경과학과
2고려대학교 전략광물자원연구소
3한국건설생활환경시험연구원 대외협력실
4한경국립대학교 지역자원시스템공학과
5국립한밭대학교 건설환경공학과
*Corresponding Author
30 June 2026. pp. 1-12
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Abstract

Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a promising carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technology that accelerates natural silicate weathering processes to achieve long-term atmospheric CO2 sequestration. However, many ERW studies rely on readily available feedstocks without fully accounting for the stoichiometric limitations of carbonate minerals or the site-specific environmental constraints. In South Korea, large-scale ERW deployment is further constrained by the predominance of granitic bedrock and the scarcity of highly reactive natural basic rocks such as basalt. To address these challenges, this review distinguishes silicate weathering from carbonate dissolution and assesses the domestic availability and supply potential of industrial by-products, including blast furnace slag, steelmaking slag, and ferronickel slag as synthetic silicate alternatives. Although Korea’s steel and cement industries provide logistical and life-cycle advantages, over 96% of slags are already utilized in other sectors, creating a bottleneck for ERW scalability and necessitating national-level resource optimization. Beyond resource constraints, this review highlights socio-economic trade-offs between short-term agricultural co-benefits and long-term CDR goals, along with risks associated with trace metal leaching. Overall, successful ERW deployment in South Korea requires an interdisciplinary framework integrating resource management, ecological safety, and measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems.

Keywords
Enhanced rock weathering (ERW)
Carbon dioxide removal (CDR)
Feedstock availability
Industrial by-products
Scalability
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Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국지하수토양환경학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
  • Journal Title(Ko) :지하수토양환경
  • Volume : 31
  • No :3
  • Pages :1-12
  • Received Date : 2026-05-22
  • Revised Date : 2026-06-02
  • Accepted Date : 2026-06-15
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7857/JSGE.2026.31.3.001
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