Can new tech improve ocean carbon capture? US startup Ebb Carbon is developing ocean-based CO2 removal tech in a bid to capture up to 1 mn tons of carbon from waterways annually to alleviate the climate-driven acidification of oceans, CNBC writes. Oceans are nature’s largest carbon sink, absorbing a quarter of global CO2 emissions and generating half of the world’s oxygen supply, but rising global temperatures coupled with an excess of CO2 levels are weakening its natural ability to capture emissions and pump out air. Ocean oxygen levels are expected to drop between 3-4% on average by 2100 overall due to climate change, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

How it works: The Ebb system incorporated into the company’s CO2 removal modules uses an electrochemical process to remove acid from seawater, which is then returned to the ocean with heightened CO2 absorption capabilities, the news outlet explains. The company’s first carbon capturing units at the marine labs in the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Washington state have a collective annual carbon capture capacity of 100 tons. The company’s technology costs are over USD 100 per ton of CO2 captured, but as the startup continues to expand to more locations and couple their systems with existing infrastructure like desalination facilities and coastal power plants, carbon removal price tags are expected to dramatically fall, co-founder and CEO of Ebb Carbon Ben Tarbell told CNBC. The company has raised a total of USD 27.75 mn so far, he added.

OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THIS MORNING-

  • Climate-linked disasters are spiking ins. claims: Ins. claims are set to exceed USD 100 bn for the third consecutive year as climate change continues to exacerbate weather-related incidents, including wildfires, hail, and floods. Munich Re estimates global natural disaster ins. costs totalled USD 43 bn in 1H 2023, while Swiss Re has pegged it at USD 50 bn. (Bloomberg)
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