SINGAPORE, May 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- MediSun Energy, a Singapore-based integrated brine management company, has partnered with EMSTEEL (ADX: EMSTEEL) ("the Group"), one of the largest publicly traded steel and building materials manufacturers in the region, to launch Project Elixir — the UAE's first pilot system that transforms desalination brine into renewable blue energy and magnesium carbonate. This groundbreaking initiative introduces a circular model that converts industrial waste into clean energy and sustainable materials, aligning with the UAE's goals for innovation, decarbonization, and resource efficiency.
The project is supported by an AED 100 million R&D fund launched by ADQ, an active sovereign investor with a focus on critical infrastructure and global supply chains, in 2022. The fund forms part of ADQ Growth Lab, a community of innovators across ADQ's portfolio that realises the company's commitment to accelerating innovation and R&D with a focus on unlocking growth opportunities and driving value creation and sustainability across priority sectors of the UAE's economy.
The pilot will be installed at EMSTEEL's steel business unit in Abu Dhabi, where MediSun Energy will deploy two integrated systems. The WEGen RED system treats 500 cubic meters of desalination brine per day, generating "blue energy" while consuming less power than conventional processes. The WEGen Green Pilot processes 30 cubic meters of brine daily, captures carbon dioxide, and produces up to 300 kg of magnesium carbonate (MgCO₃) per day — a low-carbon alternative to traditional additives used in steelmaking.
By combining carbon capture and energy recovery, Project Elixir transforms desalination brine — typically treated as waste — into a valuable resource. The recovered magnesium carbonate will be trialed as a sustainable substitute for dololime in EMSTEEL's electric arc furnace (EAF), supporting the company's efforts to reduce emissions and advance green steel production.
Eng. Saeed Ghumran Al Remeithi, Group CEO of EMSTEEL , said: "This collaboration with MediSun Energy marks a significant step in redefining industrial sustainability. The ability to convert desalination brine into clean energy and valuable materials directly supports our decarbonization strategy and aligns with national objectives for circularity and innovation. Project Elixir reflects EMSTEEL's commitment to advancing green steel production while reinforcing the UAE's leadership in industrial transformation."
Dusun Kim, CEO of MediSun Energy , said: "This pilot represents a breakthrough for industrial sustainability in the UAE. By turning brine waste into clean power and green materials, we're demonstrating a circular model for the future of steelmaking. We're proud to partner with EMSTEEL on this historic initiative."
Scheduled for installation in mid-2025, the pilot will be implemented without disrupting existing operations. MediSun will lead engineering, installation, and operations, supported on-site by EMSTEEL and Emirates Electrical & Instrumentation Company (EEIC), which will assist with local assembly and integration.
About EMSTEEL
EMSTEEL is a public joint stock company (ADX: EMSTEEL) and the UAE's largest steel and building materials manufacturer. The Group leverages cutting-edge technologies to supply both the local market and over 70 international markets with high-quality finished products, creating a one-stop shop for the manufacturing and construction sectors.
About MediSun Energy
MediSun Energy is an integrated brine management company headquartered in Singapore. The company specializes in turning desalination brine and industrial waste streams into valuable resources through energy-efficient and circular solutions. MediSun's proprietary technologies — including Reverse Electrodialysis (RED) and CO₂ mineralization — are designed to decarbonize energy-intensive sectors such as desalination and heavy industry, supporting a more sustainable and resource-resilient future.
For more information, visit www.medisun.energy or write to info@medisun.energy. You can also follow MediSun on LinkedIn.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
MediSun Energy and EMSTEEL Launch UAE's First Pilot to Transform Desalination Brine into Blue Energy and Magnesium Carbonate
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Agreement Calls for Over 100,000 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) across 3 Years
GURUGRAM, India, Jan. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Varaha, a leading developer of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects with smallholder farmers across Asia, today announced a major offtake agreement with Microsoft for biochar carbon removal in India.
Varaha will develop 18 industrial gasification reactors that will operate for 15 years, with a total projected removal volume exceeding 2 million tonnes of CO₂ over the project's lifetime.
The project sources cotton stalks from smallholder farms in Maharashtra, India for use as the feedstock for biochar production. After harvest, these stalks are treated as waste biomass, and open-field burning is a common practice across the region's cotton belt. This project provides an alternative use for the stalks, converting them into biochar through Varaha's biomass gasification facilities and sequestering biogenic carbon for centuries.
Delivering Local Impact
Varaha's biochar project also delivers measurable benefits for farmers and communities:
- Improvement in Air Quality: The project mitigates the widespread burning of cotton crop residue, significantly reducing PM 2.5 pollutants that contribute to poor air quality. By providing an economically viable alternative to field burning, the initiative tackles a major source of seasonal air pollution.
- Promotion of Regenerative Agriculture: Farmers participating in the program adopt regenerative practices like crop residue mulching and biochar application to soils, improving soil health, water retention, and long-term agricultural productivity.
- Lifting Farmer Livelihoods: The program directly enhances the livelihoods of thousands of smallholder farmers, who receive payment both for contributing agricultural biomass and for implementing crop residue incorporation practices.
"This agreement demonstrates that high-integrity carbon removal can drive transformative co-benefits for communities and ecosystems," said Madhur Jain, Varaha CEO. "We're not just removing carbon—we're creating economic incentives for farmers to mitigate open burning of crop residues."
The project's first reactor will operate alongside Varaha's 52-acre cotton research farm in Maharashtra, where Varaha works directly with farmers to test sustainable practices, including soil application of biochar, under real-world conditions. With up to 18 total reactors funded across India's cotton belt through Microsoft's commitment, the focus remains clear: scaling quickly while putting farmers first.
Setting New Standards for Asian Carbon Markets
The agreement signals growing recognition of the region's potential for high-quality carbon removal projects. Biochar offers permanent carbon storage on geological timescales while supporting agricultural systems, making it one of the most promising pathways for durable carbon dioxide removal.
"This offtake agreement broadens the diversity of Microsoft's carbon removal portfolio with Varaha's biochar project design that is both scalable and durable. It represents a step forward in scaling biochar CDR growth in Asia and advancing co-benefits for farmers—improved soils, cleaner air, and shared economic opportunity," said Phil Goodman, program director, CDR at Microsoft.
The credits generated through the Varaha program meet rigorous standards for measurement, reporting, and verification, ensuring that each tonne represents genuine, permanent carbon removal.
About Varaha
Varaha is a leading developer of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects in Asia, with a mission of scaling smallholder farmer-led climate solutions to remove carbon from the atmosphere and strengthen rural livelihoods. Specializing in regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, biochar, and enhanced rock weathering projects across South Asia, Varaha has pioneered a technology- and science-driven approach to carbon project development since its founding in 2022. Varaha is headquartered in Gurugram, India, and operates 20 carbon projects across India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Agreement Calls for Over 100,000 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) across 3 Years
GURUGRAM, India, Jan. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Varaha, a leading developer of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects with smallholder farmers across Asia, today announced a major offtake agreement with Microsoft for biochar carbon removal in India.
Varaha will develop 18 industrial gasification reactors that will operate for 15 years, with a total projected removal volume exceeding 2 million tonnes of CO₂ over the project's lifetime.
The project sources cotton stalks from smallholder farms in Maharashtra, India for use as the feedstock for biochar production. After harvest, these stalks are treated as waste biomass, and open-field burning is a common practice across the region's cotton belt. This project provides an alternative use for the stalks, converting them into biochar through Varaha's biomass gasification facilities and sequestering biogenic carbon for centuries.
Delivering Local Impact
Varaha's biochar project also delivers measurable benefits for farmers and communities:
- Improvement in Air Quality: The project mitigates the widespread burning of cotton crop residue, significantly reducing PM 2.5 pollutants that contribute to poor air quality. By providing an economically viable alternative to field burning, the initiative tackles a major source of seasonal air pollution.
- Promotion of Regenerative Agriculture: Farmers participating in the program adopt regenerative practices like crop residue mulching and biochar application to soils, improving soil health, water retention, and long-term agricultural productivity.
- Lifting Farmer Livelihoods: The program directly enhances the livelihoods of thousands of smallholder farmers, who receive payment both for contributing agricultural biomass and for implementing crop residue incorporation practices.
"This agreement demonstrates that high-integrity carbon removal can drive transformative co-benefits for communities and ecosystems," said Madhur Jain, Varaha CEO. "We're not just removing carbon—we're creating economic incentives for farmers to mitigate open burning of crop residues."
The project's first reactor will operate alongside Varaha's 52-acre cotton research farm in Maharashtra, where Varaha works directly with farmers to test sustainable practices, including soil application of biochar, under real-world conditions. With up to 18 total reactors funded across India's cotton belt through Microsoft's commitment, the focus remains clear: scaling quickly while putting farmers first.
Setting New Standards for Asian Carbon Markets
The agreement signals growing recognition of the region's potential for high-quality carbon removal projects. Biochar offers permanent carbon storage on geological timescales while supporting agricultural systems, making it one of the most promising pathways for durable carbon dioxide removal.
"This offtake agreement broadens the diversity of Microsoft's carbon removal portfolio with Varaha's biochar project design that is both scalable and durable. It represents a step forward in scaling biochar CDR growth in Asia and advancing co-benefits for farmers—improved soils, cleaner air, and shared economic opportunity," said Phil Goodman, program director, CDR at Microsoft.
The credits generated through the Varaha program meet rigorous standards for measurement, reporting, and verification, ensuring that each tonne represents genuine, permanent carbon removal.
About Varaha
Varaha is a leading developer of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects in Asia, with a mission of scaling smallholder farmer-led climate solutions to remove carbon from the atmosphere and strengthen rural livelihoods. Specializing in regenerative agriculture, agroforestry, biochar, and enhanced rock weathering projects across South Asia, Varaha has pioneered a technology- and science-driven approach to carbon project development since its founding in 2022. Varaha is headquartered in Gurugram, India, and operates 20 carbon projects across India, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Varaha Signs Carbon Removal Agreement with Microsoft
