How a Scottish university's rock transformation technology could help world hit Paris Agreement climate goal

Rockit, a cleantech initiative from Heriot-Watt University, uses new chemical injection technology to transform permeable rocks into solid, permanent seals and could prevent millions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.

The solution infiltrates pores and cracks in permeable rock, offering a “more comprehensive” sealing method. The technology can - its developers say - be deployed for both shallow onshore and deeper offshore well sites.

Methane has, according to the International Energy Agency, 80 times the warming impact of carbon dioxide over a 20-year period. Cutting emissions by 45 per cent in the next six years could help achieve the Paris Agreement’s climate target goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.

Rockit, a cleantech initiative from Heriot-Watt University, has unveiled ambitious plans to help seal 100,000 methane-leaking wells within the next decade using new chemical injection technology. | Tanya Jay

Rockit won the 2023 Converge Net Zero Challenge and a functional prototype has been validated under lab conditions and has been granted an accelerated patent via the UK Government's Green Channel scheme.

Dr Oleg Ishkov, a lead researcher at Heriot-Watt University’s School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, said: “Using existing methods, research suggests it would take over 300 years to plug millions of at-risk wells on the planet.

“Our technology offers a radical new solution by transforming porous rocks into impermeable barriers, locking harmful gases underground for millennia.”

Mark Zwinderman, CEO of clean tech company SAS Environmental Services, and Laurence Ormerod, an experienced ex-VP of Weatherford International, will join Professor Eric Mackay and Ishkov from Heriot-Watt University to develop the project.

Dr Oleg Ishko | Tanya Jay

Scottish Enterprise’s Leah Pape added: “We’re delighted to welcome Rockit into our High Growth Spinout Programme.

“The project is at the earliest stage of its scaling journey, but we’re confident that it can fully commercialise its cutting-edge research with our support and encouragement.”

Professor Gill Murray is deputy principal for enterprise and business at Heriot-Watt University. She said: “Rockit exemplifies the innovative, high-impact research we champion at Heriot-Watt University. This technology has the potential to make a significant contribution to global net-zero goals, showcasing how our research can deliver tangible environmental benefits on a global scale.”

Murray said that Heriot-Watt’s backing of enterprises like Rockit - which they helped showcase research for at events including COP28 - demonstrates a “commitment to fostering transformative technologies”.

Murray added: “Rockit's progress, backed by Scottish Enterprise funding and our ongoing business advisory support, illustrates how university-industry partnerships can accelerate cutting-edge research toward commercial success on the global stage.”