Solution for Climate Change? Study Proposes Using Seawater to Extract Billions of Tons of CO2 from the Atmosphere

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 08/06/2021 at 09:05

Photo by Mauro Shared Pictures

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American University Project Studies The Possibility Of Removing Carbon Dioxide, Also Known As CO2, From The Oceans

The world must halt climate change to avoid terrible consequences for the environment. Most experts argue that to curb global warming and its accompanying harms, the removal of carbon dioxide, also known as carbon gas or CO2, from the atmosphere is necessary.

However, this is a difficult mission, as around 37 billion metric tons is emitted annually on the planet. Now, a team of researchers from the University of California (UCLA) has brought to light a new path that could extract billions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The idea would be to extract CO2 from seawater, as water retains about 150 times more dioxide than air.

The process being developed is similar to a shell at the bottom of the ocean, capturing carbon dioxide. Various startups are seeking alternatives to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The process studied by UCLA is inspired by the natural world, being called “carbon capture and storage in a single step, or sCS.”

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Climate Change: Revolutionary Method Can Help The Environment, But Is Very Expensive

In laboratory tests, scientists developed a tool that pulls seawater, creating limestone and magnesite, which are the same materials that mollusks use to form shells. The machine could be positioned on land, collecting water, completing the entire process, and returning it to the ocean. See an example below of the project that could halt climate change.

environment co2 climate change atmosphere — Image of how the CO2 extraction machines will work. Image: *UCLA Institute for Carbon Management*

Since seawater retains up to 150 times more CO2 than air, any method involving water will be much more efficient. Additionally, the sCS project can produce hydrogen as a byproduct, which can be used to power the machine itself or even sold as fuel to power hydrogen vehicles.

However, first, it is essential to study the economic feasibility. The study indicates that about 1,800 of its cells would be needed to extract roughly 10 billion tons of CO2 per year. This project would be financially unfeasible today, as it would cost trillions of dollars.

Solution for Climate Change? Study Proposes Using Seawater to Extract Billions of Tons of CO2 from the Atmosphere

American University Project Studies The Possibility Of Removing Carbon Dioxide, Also Known As CO2, From The Oceans

Climate Change: Revolutionary Method Can Help The Environment, But Is Very Expensive

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Solution for Climate Change? Study Proposes Using Seawater to Extract Billions of Tons of CO2 from the Atmosphere

American University Project Studies The Possibility Of Removing Carbon Dioxide, Also Known As CO2, From The Oceans

Climate Change: Revolutionary Method Can Help The Environment, But Is Very Expensive

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With 7.4 trillion tons of artificial snow pumped in 10 years, an extreme operation could stabilize the West Antarctic ice sheet and prevent a sea level rise of more than 3 meters, but it would require snow cannons, ocean water, and energy on an almost industrial scale at the end of the world.

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In the Saudi Arabian desert, the world’s largest green hydrogen plant is 80% complete and will use 4 gigawatts of solar and wind energy to produce 600 tons of clean fuel per day when it opens in 2027.

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