Direct ocean capture may be the next frontier for carbon removal

illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on TechCrunch or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Brineworks, an Amsterdam-based startup, is pioneering a cost-effective method of carbon removal from seawater, called Direct Ocean Capture (DOC)
• Their technology could lower costs to under $100 per ton of CO2, far below the $230 to $630 range seen in direct air capture methods
• The company recently secured $2.2 million in funding to advance this technology

🔭 The context: With global warming threatening catastrophic climate events, carbon removal is crucial to keeping temperature rise below 1.5°C
• Oceans hold CO2 at a much higher density than the atmosphere, making ocean capture more energy-efficient
• Brineworks’ electrolyzer also produces green hydrogen, adding a revenue stream and off-grid capability

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: DOC could revolutionize carbon capture by offering a scalable and sustainable solution to removing excess CO2 while also producing renewable energy sources like hydrogen

⏭️ What's next: Brineworks is launching its first pilot project in the Canary Islands, aiming to capture a metric ton of CO2 per week, marking a significant step toward commercializing this new technology

💬 One quote: "What if any nation in the world could make sustainable oil from renewable electricity and seawater alone? We think Brineworks found the key to that," said Hampus Jakobsson, general partner at Pale Blue Dot

📈 One stat: Oceans contain about 150 times more CO2 than the atmosphere, making Direct Ocean Capture (DOC) significantly more energy-efficient compared to Direct Air Capture (DAC)

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