TThe Equatic Process, a new carbon removal technology and one of the best inventions of 2023, is being scaled up significantly, with the world’s largest ocean carbon removal (OCDR) facility being built in Singapore and expected to run by 2025. It is scheduled to go into operation. Atmospheric carbon removal technology is hailed as a potential game-changer in tackling global climate change after scientists agree that atmospheric carbon removal technology is needed for the world to meet climate targets in 2022 There is widespread optimism about what has been achieved.
Scientists say the world needs to remove at least 5 billion tons of carbon by 2050 to keep global warming at a safe level, and investors and inventors are betting on that demand. They are competing to find ways to satisfy their needs.
On Tuesday, Singapore’s National Water Board PUB announced that it will strengthen its collaboration with Equatic, a Los Angeles-based startup founded by scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles and UCLA. Together, they will build a $20 million plant that will remove 3,650 tons (4,000 tons) of carbon dioxide from the ocean each year through the Equatic process, which uses electrolysis to convert carbon dioxide in seawater into a stable solid. are planning to build.
According to a press release issued Tuesday by UCLA’s Samueli School of Engineering, the extracted carbon dioxide is “in the form of solid calcium and magnesium-based materials, similar to how seashells are naturally formed.” It will be stored for at least 10,000 years. Seawater that is treated and returned to the ocean will then have the ability to absorb even more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. (Seawater contains about 150 times more carbon dioxide per unit volume than air, and the ocean has been hailed as one of humanity’s greatest natural allies in the fight against the climate crisis.)
The project, named Equatic-1, is an expansion of a pilot program that consisted of small-scale plants installed in Singapore and the Port of Los Angeles in April last year, with each plant producing about 100 kilograms (0.1 ton) of water per day. Extract carbon dioxide.
And that’s just the beginning of an even bigger expansion. “Once this facility successfully achieves its technology demonstration objectives, Equatic plans to scale up and commercialize its technology globally,” a UCLA press release states. Additionally, if Equatic-1 were to operate at full capacity, it would emit the same amount of carbon dioxide as 850 people per year.
read more: The ocean is the next frontier for the carbon removal industry
Proponents of the Equatic process and other ocean carbon removal technologies argue that such processes would greatly aid the global fight against climate change. However, this technology is of concern to some scientists who are concerned about its potential ecological risks and call for further research and investment in OCDR to better understand both its benefits and risks. Masu.
Pang Chee Meng, PUB’s chief engineering and technology officer, told TIME in an email that the treated seawater is washed before being released into the ocean to “ensure marine chemicals are preserved.” He added that authorities and Equatic will be monitoring the situation closely. Impact of plants on the environment.
Equatic-1 operations will generate carbon credits that will be distributed proportionately to PUB, the Singapore National Research Foundation, and the UCLA Carbon Management Institute. Meanwhile, Equatic has entered into agreements with several companies, including Boeing, to buy carbon credits from future commercial plants.
The power plant is a key part of Singapore’s goal to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045, but it could have other benefits as well. PUB also said it will continue researching the possibility of integrating carbon removal technology into the country’s existing desalination processes. A large-scale desalination project is already underway on this Southeast Asian island. Desalination is an energy-intensive process that removes salts and minerals from seawater, making it drinkable, and is a key pillar of the country’s water security strategy.
“This could be a game-changer in shaping the future operation of desalination plants, not just in Singapore but around the world,” Pang said.
PUB also says it is currently exploring the possibility of using the solid carbonates produced by the Equatic process in the construction industry, such as in cement and concrete. Hydrogen, another byproduct of the Equatic process, could also be used to power the process itself or as a clean energy source for electricity generation, the agency said. added.