UNDO, a world-leading carbon removal company, announces a new research paper co-authored with scientists from Newcastle University and The James Hutton Institute. Published by Cambridge University Press, the paper explores UNDO’s patent-pending measurement technique, SATuration-Centrifugation (SAT-C), which is designed to support the global scaling of enhanced rock weathering across diverse climates, seasons and soil types.
The pioneering research is supported by a collaboration with McLaren Racing’s Accelerator programme, whose engineers are helping to prototype next-generation field equipment designed for year-round deployment by applying their racing mindset and F1 know-how to the challenge.
Enhanced rock weathering – a nature-based technology in which crushed silicate rock is spread on farmland – has long been recognised as a promising carbon removal pathway with community co-benefits. However, measuring the carbon removed has historically relied on expensive, slow and geographically limited methods, creating a major barrier to financing and scale. Traditional porewater extraction methods depend on natural soil moisture, often restricting data collection during dry periods and creating gaps in long-term monitoring. As drought conditions become more frequent globally, year-round measurement has become critical.
UNDO’s proprietary SAT-C technique addresses this challenge by enabling reliable porewater extraction regardless of soil moisture levels. It combines intact soil core collection, controlled saturation using deionised water and centrifugation to recover porewater for chemical analysis. This technology generates robust, continuous Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) data across climates and seasons to strengthen carbon credit quality and underwriting confidence.
McLaren Racing Accelerator engineers are also collaborating with UNDO’s scientists on a prototype SAT-C soil auger. The battery-powered auger uses soil friction to reach depths of up to 30cm year-round, breaking through dry, compact soils while operating reliably in wet winter conditions, preserving soil structure and minimising land impact. The latest prototype has reduced soil sampling time by 70% and cut associated emissions by 90%, while improving reliability and ease of use, supporting large-scale deployment. Work to develop and improve the technology is ongoing.
Kim Wilson, Director of Sustainability at McLaren Racing, said, “At McLaren Racing, we are committed to achieving net zero by 2040 – and playing our part in line with climate science to drive innovation, is an essential part of this. I’m proud that through collaboration with our partners, like UNDO, we can demonstrate the power of sport to inspire meaningful change away from the track. In this case, Accelerator engineers applying high-performance engineering and a racing mindset, to this urgent environmental challenge, to help accelerate climate solutions at pace.”
Jim Mann, Founder and CEO of UNDO, said: “Without tackling the measurement bottleneck, enhanced rock weathering will not become the climate tool our planet needs it to be. SAT-C is the critical unlock that will make enhanced rock weathering more credible, auditable and financially viable over time. By combining world-class research with McLaren Racing’s engineering expertise, we are removing one of the biggest barriers to scaling permanent carbon removal globally.”
Although SAT-C was developed in an enhanced rock weathering context, the challenge it addresses is broader. Seasonal drying, variable soil moisture, and patchy porewater recovery can affect soil monitoring in agriculture, land restoration, and environmental remediation, too, bringing scientific value beyond enhanced rock weathering alone.
SAT-C provides a path to lower-cost verification while expanding viable enhanced rock weathering project geographies worldwide. Each carbon credit generated using the technique is supported by a real-time, traceable audit trail aligned with emerging regulatory expectations.
