ADM Brings Large-Scale Carbon Removal Capacity to Voluntary Carbon Market
ADM is expanding its presence in the carbon removal market by selling credits generated from its large-scale carbon capture operation at its corn processing complex in Columbus, Nebraska. The project could bring over 800,000 metric tons of annual carbon removal capacity into the voluntary carbon market (VCM), making it one of the largest engineered carbon removal credit issuances to date.
The credits are being certified under Puro.earth's Geologically Stored Carbon methodology, with the first issuance expected by the end of 2026 if the ongoing audit and verification process is completed. ADM's vice president of Innovation & Growth, Kris Lutt, said that the company sees this project as a way to connect its agricultural operations with a growing customer market for durable carbon removal.
The Columbus project connects three parts of the value chain: agricultural production, ethanol processing, and permanent carbon storage. The CO2 comes from recently grown biomass, captured during ethanol production and permanently stored underground. This creates the basis for carbon removal credits, provided the project meets the methodology's accounting, monitoring, and verification requirements.
ADM's entry into the VCM is significant, but its planned removal volume needs to be viewed against its overall emissions footprint. The company reported 128.4 million metric tons of CO2e in total emissions in 2025 and has a decarbonization strategy that includes fuel switching, energy efficiency, lower-carbon electricity, and carbon capture and storage.
The VCM is shifting away from a simple volume-growth story and toward quality, durability, and verification. The market has been under pressure from concerns about credit quality, but buyers have continued to show interest in more credible projects. McKinsey estimates that the carbon removal market could reach $40 billion to $80 billion annually by 2030, based on currently announced projects and expected deliveries.