Surficial Mineralization (SM) offers a durable, measurable pathway for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) by reacting atmospheric CO₂ with alkaline minerals in mine tailings and industrial residues. While theoretically limited only by extraction potential, reaching gigaton-scale deployment requires overcoming significant scientific, operational, and regulatory hurdles. This session explores the geochemical and physical processes governing SM, specifically focusing on mechanisms to accelerate reaction kinetics and bypass mineral passivation, e.g. via mechanical, thermochemical, or biological pretreatments. We seek to address challenges in quantifying durable carbonate storage in heterogeneous environments and explore regional resource assessments of suitable, reactive alkalinity, such as chrysotile serpentinite. Additionally, we invite discussions on deployment realities—including the design of low-energy, low-cost physical systems for at-scale mineralization, environmental risks and co-benefits like waste remediation, long-term delivery horizons, and strategies to overcome industry inertia while attracting catalytic investment. Submissions covering laboratory experiments, reactive transport modeling, and field pilot results are welcome.

• B - Biogeosciences
• GC - Global Environmental Change
• MR - Mineral and Rock Physics
• SY - Science and Society