Frontier coalition sign US$44mn carbon removal deal with biowaste firm NULIFE

The Frontier coalition, led by big tech firms like Google and Shopify, has signed a US$44.2 million offtake agreement with biowaste carbon removal firm NULIFE.

NULIFE GreenTech, a Canadian company that converts biowaste into a concentrated bio‑oil and stores the CO2 geologically in licensed salt caverns, will deliver 122,000 tons of carbon removals for Frontier buyers between 2026 and 2030. 

The company helps address the issue of agricultural biowaste such as oat hulls from milling, grease‑trap waste from food processors, sludge from canola crushing or biosolids from wastewater treatment, which release greenhouse gases as they decompose on fields. It uses a process called hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) to break down this biowaste into a carbon concentrate called bio-oil, which is then stored 1,000 metres underground.

Carbon-rich solids (biochar) are also produced, and are injected together with the bio-oil, increasing the carbon removal efficiency of the process, because more of the carbon in the biomass feedstock is permanently stored.

Hannah Bebbington Valori, Head of Deployment at Frontier, said: "NULIFE turns an everyday waste problem into measurable, long‑term carbon removal. This is a good example of how smart waste disposal can double-up as a carbon removal solution that could deliver at gigaton scale."

NULIFE already delivering carbon removals

The Frontier coalition was NULIFE’s first customer in 2024 as part of a prepurchase of carbon removal credits, and the company has already delivered more than half of the total volume contracted. 

The coalition has facilitated the purchases on behalf of its founding members Stripe, Google, Shopify, and McKinsey Sustainability, as well as members Autodesk, H&M Group, and Workday. Additionally, Aledade, Canva, Match Group, Samsara, SKIMS, Skyscanner, Wise, and Zendesk have participated via Watershed's partnership with Frontier.

NULIFE's existing site in Saskatchewan, Canada, has logged thousands of operating hours on commercial HTL processors and has delivered tonnes of carbon removals independently verified by carbon credit registry Isometric. 

Because the firm’s process works on a wide range of biomass waste types, including dry biomass such as wood chips and crop residues, as well as wet waste like manure and sewage sludge, Frontier estimates that HTL could reach 1.5 gigatonnes of carbon removal per year by 2040.

Jerry Kristian, Co‑founder, NULIFE, added: "Frontier's decision to proceed with this offtake is a strong validation of the engineering rigor, transparency, and real-world waste-management value behind our BiCRS platform. Our modular HTL units enable rapid, repeatable deployment, supporting scalable growth across Canada and internationally."

This transaction is also Frontier's third offtake with a Canadian company, bringing the coalition’s commitment in the country to over US$100 million.