Mining LCA and Carbon Footprint Analysis

Integrated LCA and Renewable Energy Feasibility for Net-Zero Mining

Client: Canadian Wollastonite (https://canadianwollastonite.com/)

Location: Seeley’s Bay, Ontario

Overview

Canadian Wollastonite operates the Saint Lawrence Wollastonite Deposit (SLWD) near Seeley’s Bay, northeast of Kingston, Ontario. Wollastonite (CaSiO₃) is a naturally occurring mineral with significant potential to support climate change mitigation through enhanced mineral weathering (EMW). When applied to soils, wollastonite accelerates the natural sequestration of atmospheric CO₂ into stable mineral forms while providing agricultural co-benefits such as improved crop yields, greater drought resistance, and reduced soil acidity¹²³.

In addition to its agricultural applications, wollastonite has demonstrated potential to improve forest health, support carbon capture in sludge anaerobic digestion, and enhance the durability and CO₂ uptake of concrete products⁴⁵⁶. As attention to negative emissions technologies increases globally, wollastonite is positioned as a strategic mineral resource for climate action.

Canadian Wollastonite is committed to leading sustainable mining practices in Canada. Alongside initiatives such as wetland creation and sustainable forest management, the company has set an ambitious goal of achieving a net-zero mining operation as it scales up production over the coming years.

Project Description

To support Canadian Wollastonite’s net-zero transition, Greenscale was engaged to perform an integrated life cycle assessment (LCA) and solar photovoltaic (PV) feasibility study.

The LCA quantified the environmental impacts of mining, processing, and distribution operations, establishing a baseline carbon footprint for current and future activities at the SLWD site. Special attention was given to enhanced weathering applications, accounting for carbon removal benefits across different market uses.

The renewable energy feasibility study evaluated options for solar PV deployment at the mining site, identifying potential pathways to reduce operational emissions while supporting the company’s broader decarbonization strategy.

This combined technical assessment provided Canadian Wollastonite with:

  • A transparent, evidence-based understanding of site-level emissions.
  • Scenario modeling to estimate the impact of operational changes and expansion plans.
  • Financial and environmental projections for onsite renewable energy generation.

By integrating life cycle thinking early in the company’s growth, Canadian Wollastonite positioned itself to meet emerging climate disclosure expectations while actively contributing to net carbon removal through its products

Real-World Impact

In 2024, UNDO Carbon Removal (un-do.com), a global leader in enhanced weathering initiatives, secured multi-million-dollar carbon removal funding from Frontier Climate and other major partners — with Canadian Wollastonite as a key material supplier. The value of UNDO’s work was recognized through a $5 million-dollar scale-up award in 2025 (view article here).

Greenscale’s life cycle assessment work provided the technical foundation supporting Canadian Wollastonite’s collaboration with UNDO, ensuring that carbon removal claims were evidence-based, verifiable, and aligned with leading climate accounting frameworks. This achievement demonstrates the critical role of rigorous LCA methodologies in advancing credible, scalable carbon removal solutions — and highlights Greenscale’s commitment to helping innovative industries deliver measurable environmental outcomes.

Sources

  1. Moosdorf, N., Renforth, P., & Hartmann, J. (2014). Carbon dioxide efficiency of terrestrial enhanced weathering. Environmental Science & Technology, 48(9), 4809–4816. https://doi.org/10.1021/es4052022
  2. Haque, F., Santos, R. M., & Dutta, A. (2019). Co-benefits of wollastonite weathering in agriculture: CO₂ sequestration and promoted plant growth. ACS Omega, 4(1), 1425–1433. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.8b02535
  3. Haque, F., Santos, R. M., & Chiang, Y. W. (2020). CO₂ sequestration by wollastonite-amended agricultural soils – An Ontario field study. International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 97, 103017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2020.103017
  4. Gu, W., Driscoll, C. T., Shao, S., & Johnson, C. E. (2017). Aluminum is more tightly bound in soil after wollastonite treatment to a forest watershed. Forest Ecology and Management, 397, 57–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2017.04.031
  5. Zhang, Y., Zhang, L., Liu, H., Gong, L., Jiang, Q., Liu, H., & Fu, B. (2019). Carbon dioxide sequestration and methane production promotion by wollastonite in sludge anaerobic digestion. Bioresource Technology, 272, 194–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2018.10.039
  6. Huang, Y., et al. (2019). Carbon dioxide uptake performance and mechanical properties of concrete containing wollastonite. Journal of Cleaner Production, 210, 1161–1170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.11.085
  7. World Economic Forum. (2015). Mining & metals in a sustainable world 2050. Geneva: World Economic Forum. Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/11/why-innovation-in-the-mining-sector-is-critical-for-the-energy-transition/