Equatic ocean carbon capture unveils the world’s largest ocean-based removal plant.
In a major development for carbon removal technologies, the company Equatic Ocean Carbon Capture announced plans for the world’s largest ocean-based direct air capture (DAC) and carbon storage facility. Named Equatic-1, this pioneering project aims to filter carbon dioxide directly from seawater and ocean air, permanently sequestering it in natural mineral compounds on the seafloor.
The $120 million Equatic Ocean Carbon Capture demonstration plant, slated to begin operations in mid-2024 in Tuas, Singapore, has an ambitious goal – to capture and store 3,650 metric tons of CO2 per year, the equivalent of removing over 790 cars from the road annually. If successful, it could pave the way for scaling up this emerging carbon removal solution to help mitigate global warming.
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“Equatic-1 is the essential next step towards achieving carbon dioxide removal at a globally relevant scale and at a competitive price point,” stated Lorenzo Corsini, Principal Advisor at Equatic. “We’re on track to bring removal costs below the $100 per ton industry target well before 2030 through our replicable electrochemical reactor technology.”
The new Equatic Ocean Carbon Capture plant is the result of an exclusive collaboration between Equatic, Singapore’s National Water Agency (PUB), and researchers from UCLA. It builds upon learnings from smaller pilot facilities first operational in 2023 in Los Angeles and Singapore.
At the heart of Equatic Ocean Carbon Capture lies an innovative electrolytic system that uses renewable electricity to drive a series of chemical reactions in seawater. This process separates out carbon dioxide molecules, which are then reacted with calcium and magnesium ions naturally present in the ocean to form stable carbonate minerals.
“We’re essentially mimicking and accelerating a natural process,” explained Kelsey Gillard, a chemical engineer at Equatic. “Over millions of years, the ocean has locked away carbon in calcite and other carbonates that make up carbonate rock reservoirs. Our technology speeds up this carbon mineralization process.”
These newly formed carbonate compounds then settle on the seafloor, sequestering the captured carbon dioxide in a secure solid form for over 100,000 years, according to geological evidence.
But carbon capture is only one part of Equatic-1’s innovative approach. The electrolytic process also generates carbon-negative hydrogen as a valuable byproduct that can be used as a clean fuel source.
“We’re creating a negative-emissions hydrogen stream that could aid decarbonization efforts in hard-to-abate sectors like aviation, shipping, and heavy industry,” said Corsini. “It’s a two-for-one punch against climate change.”
Equatic Ocean Carbon Capture has already inked deals to pre-sell carbon credits and hydrogen from Equatic-1 to major companies like Boeing as they aim to reduce their carbon footprints.
The Singapore location was strategically chosen due to its robust renewable energy supply from sources like solar and offshore winds, as well as proximity to international shipping lanes for potential hydrogen export.
While still in its infancy, ocean carbon removal technologies like that being pioneered by Equatic-1 hold considerable promise due to the vast carbon storage capacity of the world’s oceans and coastal ecosystems.
“The oceans have naturally regulated our planet’s carbon cycle for eons,” noted marine scientist Lisa Levin of UCLA’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, a research partner on the project. “Leveraging this immense reservoir responsibly through innovative solutions could be a game-changer for reversing excess atmospheric CO2 levels.”
However, scientists emphasize that significant work remains to verify the long-term environmental impacts of Equatic Ocean Carbon Capture and the permanence of ocean carbon storage approaches at scale. Strict monitoring and enforcement of carbon accounting methodologies will also be critical.
Equatic Ocean Carbon Capture is already planning its first commercial-scale deployment – a modular system capable of removing 109,500 tons of CO2 annually – as early as 2026, if the Equatic-1 demonstration is successful.
“Affordable carbon removal is essential to averting a climate crisis,” Corsini stated. “Equatic-1 could unlock the ocean’s massive potential as a carbon sink, giving humanity a powerful new tool to keep global warming at bay.”
As the world urgently seeks solutions to rein in atmospheric carbon levels, Equatic Ocean Carbon Capture’s pioneering ocean capture technology could herald a new wave of innovation for reversing greenhouse gas buildup. All eyes will be on Equatic-1 as it aims to transform the oceans from climatechange victims to saviors.
