Los Angeles: Researchers from USC, Caltech, and startup Calcarea have created a shipboard system that captures and neutralises up to 50% of carbon dioxide emissions from vessels by accelerating ocean-inspired chemical reactions, offering a scalable, eco-friendly solution for greener maritime transport.
Scientists at the University of Southern California (USC) and the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), collaborating with the startup Calcarea, have developed an innovative shipboard system designed to capture and neutralise up to half of the carbon dioxide emissions produced by shipping vessels. Given that maritime shipping contributes nearly 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions and is traditionally a challenging sector to decarbonise, this breakthrough offers promising potential for significantly reducing the industry’s carbon footprint.
The system leverages a process inspired by a natural chemical reaction occurring in oceans. Exhaust CO₂ emitted by ships is absorbed into onboard pumped seawater, which becomes slightly acidic as a result. This acidic water is then channelled through a bed of limestone, inducing a reaction that converts the CO₂ into bicarbonate—a stable compound naturally found in seawater. After treatment, the neutralised water is safely discharged back into the ocean, minimising any adverse environmental impact.
William Berelson, Paxson H. Offield Professor in Coastal and Marine Systems at USC and co-corresponding author of the study published in Science Advances, emphasised the elegance and simplicity of the approach. He remarked, “We’re speeding up a process the ocean already uses to buffer CO₂—but doing it on a ship, and in a way that can meaningfully reduce emissions at scale.”
Lab tests have been instrumental in confirming the chemistry and predicting the system’s efficacy when scaled for real-world applications. Models simulating a ship’s voyage between China and Los Angeles over a decade showed the discharged bicarbonate-rich water had negligible effects on ocean pH or chemistry, underscoring the technique’s environmentally safe characteristics.
Jess Adkins, co-founder and CEO of Calcarea and Smits Family Professor of Geochemistry and Global Environmental Science at Caltech, highlighted the practicality of the system, noting it does not require major redesigns of vessels. Instead, it offers a complementary and scalable strategy that can integrate with existing fleets — a critical advantage given the high costs and technical difficulties associated with other decarbonisation methods like low-carbon fuels or electrification on long-haul shipping.
Calcarea is actively commercialising this technology, already in early talks with commercial shippers and preparing pilot projects to demonstrate its functionality on operational vessels. The startup is also collaborating with Lomar Shipping’s venture lab, Lomar Labs, to facilitate broader deployment.
Berelson continues to research the underlying science, focusing on reaction rates and potential long-term ocean chemistry impacts, ensuring the innovation is both effective and sustainable. He pointed out the significance of the emission reductions achievable, stating, “This is the kind of scale we need if we’re going to make a real dent in global emissions. It’s not going to happen overnight, but it shows what’s possible.”
This breakthrough represents a vital step forward in addressing the carbon emissions of a difficult-to-decarbonise sector by enhancing natural ocean chemistry processes aboard ships, offering a hopeful path towards cleaner maritime operations.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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