Nature Biotechnology, Published online: 03 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41587-026-03287-x

Bacterial siderophores can accelerate mineral dissolution, a natural rock weathering process that traps CO2 in alkaline seawater. We demonstrate that engineering of siderophore production and selection of renewable feedstock to feed the siderophore-producing bacteria are sufficient to achieve net carbon removal at large scales.