Startup Sequest Bets On Desert Dryness To Unlock A New Path For Durable Carbon Removal

Sequest is building its first commercial carbon removal facility around a strikingly simple idea: dry biomass doesn't rot. The startup stores agricultural and woody residue in engineered chambers built in some of the world's driest deserts, where low humidity keeps the decay-causing microbes that normally break down plant matter from surviving.

The concept borrows from a well-documented phenomenon. Organic material buried in Egypt's desert tombs has stayed intact for roughly 3,000 years because the air is too arid to support decomposition. Sequest is applying that same principle at industrial scale to fight climate change, storing residual biomass so the carbon dioxide it already pulled from the atmosphere through photosynthesis never gets released back.

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From Preliminary Assessment To First Commercial Facility

Sequest's approach has passed a Puro.earth Preliminary Assessment, a review carbon removal registries use to validate a project's eligibility before full certification. The company is now preparing to launch its first commercial site, named Horizon, which is expected to come online in Saudi Arabia later this year.

The scale of the opportunity is significant. Agriculture generates more than seven billion tonnes of crop waste annually worldwide, and a large share of it is simply left to decompose, releasing CO2 back into the atmosphere in the process. Sequest's chambers are designed to interrupt that cycle by holding biomass in low-rainfall, low-humidity conditions that suppress microbial breakdown.

Built On Existing Industrial Processes

Rather than developing new chemistry, Sequest leans on established industrial processes, including biomass handling, trucking, earthworks, and environmental monitoring. That approach is designed to help the company reach a low cost per tonne of removed carbon early, instead of working down a cost curve over many years.

The Horizon facility will launch with an initial target of 1,000 tonnes of net carbon removal, with plans to scale capacity and expand credit availability internationally after its first issuance.

Partnering With Red Sea Global

In June, Sequest signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Red Sea Global at the Future Investment Initiative in Rome to develop durable carbon removal projects across the Kingdom. The partnership gives Sequest access to land and positions it to help supply Saudi Arabia's fast-growing domestic carbon market, anchored by the Regional Voluntary Carbon Market Company.

Gary Ganz, CEO and Co-Founder of Sequest, said the missing piece in Saudi Arabia's carbon market has been domestic supply of durable removal at industrial scale, and called it what Sequest intends to build.

John Pagano, Group CEO at Red Sea Global, said the partnership reflects the company's drive to pioneer regenerative solutions that create lasting value for future generations.

About Sequest

Sequest is a durable carbon removal company that stores residual biomass in engineered chambers in hyper-arid deserts, preventing decomposition and keeping carbon out of the atmosphere. The company is developing its first commercial facility, Horizon, in Saudi Arabia.

About Red Sea Global

Red Sea Global is a vertically integrated real estate developer with a portfolio spanning tourism, residential, infrastructure, transport, and healthcare, including the regenerative tourism destinations The Red Sea and AMAALA. RSG is a PIF company and part of Saudi Arabia's economic diversification strategy.

About Puro.earth

Puro.earth is a carbon crediting registry for engineered carbon dioxide removal, issuing CO2 Removal Certificates (CORCs) for durable storage methods including terrestrial biomass storage, biochar, and enhanced rock weathering.