ADM is entering the voluntary carbon removal market, with a project supported by its Columbus, Nebraska facility, which can capture more than 800,000 tons of CO2 per year, the company shared in a press release.
The commodity company is working with Puro.earth to certify and issue carbon dioxide removal credits for its corn processing facility in Columbus, using global crediting company’s Geologically Stored Carbon methodology. These initial carbon credits will be available by the end of the year, and ADM will issue certifications for a 15-year crediting period, the company stated.
This announcement is built on ADM’s previous partnership with energy infrastructure company Tallgrass in 2025, which captures biogenic CO2 from ethanol fermentation and stores it at Tallgrass’ Eastern Wyoming Sequestration Hub. This hub houses underground carbon capture and sequestration wells that are regulated through the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality Class VI permit.
“Certifying carbon removal at this scale demands real rigor, and we believe ADM has approached every stage – from measurement and data collection through to third-party audit – with the discipline and transparency that an investment-grade market requires. The audit process has run exceptionally smoothly, which is testament to the team ADM has built around this asset, and the hard work of the Puro.earth team coordinating with them. That partnership is what turns one of the world’s largest bioethanol carbon capture facilities into verified, investable carbon removal, and it sets a replicable benchmark for this sector worldwide,” Jan-Willem Bode, president of Puro.earth, said in the press release.
ADM’s decarbonization efforts pay off
This announcement comes less than a week since ADM released its 2025 regen ag report, with the company reporting that it has cut nearly a million metric tons of CO2 emissions through sustainable farming practices.
“Our growth strategy is predicated on smart investments that build on our world-class footprint, and carbon capture is a great example of that. More broadly, we view agriculture as a powerful engine to lower carbon, and our capabilities uniquely position us to help deliver for stakeholders across value chains,” Kris Lutt, VP of innovation and growth at ADM.
He added, “ADM has more than a decade of experience supporting carbon capture and geologic storage, including operating Class VI wells at our Decatur, Illinois, facility. That experience, together with Tallgrass’ CO2 transportation and sequestration system and the capabilities of other project participants, positions us to connect agricultural production with growing carbon removal markets at scale.”
