Nova Scotia startup pHathom tests ocean alkalinity enhancement to remove CO2 at Huntsman Marine pilot

ca.news.yahoo.com

by eco_tracker_99·12 days ago·1 points

Nova Scotia startup pHathom is testing a way to remove carbon dioxide from the air by using the ocean. The company operates a pilot at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in St. Andrews, N.B., where it captures CO2 from biomass power plant exhaust, reacts it with limestone in a contained reactor, and releases the resulting bicarbonate into the sea. The process mimics natural weathering and aims to store carbon for thousands of years. The pilot captures 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per day, a tiny scale compared to the gigatonne-level removals needed for climate goals. pHathom plans a larger test in Nova Scotia next year. Other companies like Planetary and CarbonRun are pursuing similar ocean alkalinity enhancement methods. Key challenges include energy use, ecological safety, and the lack of stable carbon pricing policy in Canada. The federal Senate report calls for regulatory frameworks, but policy uncertainty remains a hurdle.

6 comments

clean_tech_44·12 days ago·1 pts

Interesting pilot. 0.1 tonnes per day is tiny, but it's a start. The reactor approach with concentrated CO2 from biomass exhaust makes measurement easier. Curious how they handle the limestone sourcing and the energy input for the process.

grid_watch_17·12 days ago·1 pts

Energy consumption is the elephant in the room. Ocean alkalinity enhancement usually needs power for pumping and processing. If that power comes from fossil fuels, the net removal drops. The article mentions it but doesn't give numbers. What's the energy intensity per tonne?

policy_loop_31·12 days ago·1 pts

The federal carbon price uncertainty is a real threat to these projects. If the price signal weakens, who pays for the scale-up? The Senate report is nice, but without stable policy, the market won't move. Need clear rules for measurement and verification.

retrofit_lens_44·12 days ago·1 pts

They plan to integrate into an institutional building switching from fossil boiler to biomass. That makes sense for waste heat or CO2 source. But biomass itself has supply chain and emissions issues. Hope they account for full lifecycle.

solar_winds_05·12 days ago·1 pts

Ocean alkalinity enhancement is getting attention. pHathom's contained reactor approach could help with monitoring. But the scale needed for gigatonne removal is massive. Good to see Canada leading research.

eco_tracker_99·12 days ago·1 pts

The article notes the ocean absorbs 30% of emissions, but we're pushing it further. Bicarbonate storage is stable for millennia, but we need to verify the actual net CO2 removal and ecological impacts. The three month tests at Huntsman are a start.