Carbon Management

Exploring OAE potential within the Strait of Georgia

THE PROBLEM

Preventing irreversible damage from climate change will require reducing emissions as well as removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere on scales of gigatonnes in less than three decades. Permanent, verifiable atmospheric carbon removals must scale from nearly zero today to three times the current emissions of the oil and gas industry. Even with that level of execution, oceans will continue to acidify, threatening marine ecosystems including corals that support 500 million people around the world. This initial trial will explore the potential of ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) to establish a longer-term regional hub that could achieve megatonnes of permanent carbon removals.

THE SOLUTION

Planetary Technologies is developing the world’s first carbon removal system that enables coastal outfalls to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and safely store it in the water. Through a process known as Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE), a pure and mild form of alkalinity – or “antacid” – such as calcium hydroxide or magnesium hydroxide, is added to the ocean.

This alkalinity neutralizes acidic CO2 present in seawater by converting it into carbonate and bicarbonate. As ocean CO2 is converted, the ocean absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere to bring the air and ocean back into equilibrium. As an added benefit, OAE reduces local ocean acidification, potentially providing ecosystem restoration benefits.

This proposed initial trial supported by CICE will combine expertise from Metro Vancouver, Ocean Networks Canada, University of British Columbia, and others to demonstrate the ‘proof of concept’ toward a larger long-term vision: the establishment of a regional OAE hub in the Strait of Georgia capable of achieving megatonnes of CO2 removal annually.

PROJECT STATUS
Active
PROJECT CATEGORY
Carbon Management
FUNDING RECIPIENT
Planetary Technologies
CICE FUNDING AMOUNT
$1,901,060
PROJECT VALUE
$3,896,572
  • “To meet the world's climate goals, we must remove massive quantities of already emitted carbon from the atmosphere. Our project aims to enhance the ocean's ability to capture CO2. CICE has assembled a consortium of partners from industry, academia, the region, and the community to further Canada's leadership in safely developing the critically important practice of ocean carbon removal. If successful, we will restore our acidified ocean, draw down CO2 from the air, and take a leadership position in this emerging trillion-dollar industry.”
    Mike Kelland, CEO and Co-Founder of Planetary Technologies LEARN MORE ABOUT PLANETARY TECHNOLOGIES