Amrith Ramkumar and Eric Niiler of The Wall Street Journal report on companies who are tapping the power of the ocean to capture greenhouse gas emissions.
- Our oceans absorb 30% of CO2 emissions, and with technology advancements, could remove at least 1 million tons of carbon dioxide annually, according to some scientists.
- Several startups are developing technologies to enhance the ocean’s natural ability to absorb carbon dioxide, with methods ranging from electrochemical processes to spreading olivine sand, attracting billions in funding from federal and corporate sources.
- These ocean-based carbon removal techniques are part of a growing carbon-removal industry, with companies like Equatic and Vesta embarking on their first commercial-scale projects, while also developing monitoring systems to verify the amount of carbon removed.
“Vesta said its work in North Carolina will remove about 6,000 metric tons of carbon over several years. Its sand mixture acts like an antacid, boosting water’s alkalinity and its ability to absorb more carbon. The company previously conducted what it said was promising research in the Dominican Republic but decided other sites would be better for initial deployments. It then ran a successful small-scale test in New York.“
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