The controversial machine sending CO2 to the ocean and making hydrogen

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🗞️ Driving the news: Equatic, a Los Angeles-based startup, has developed a machine that captures atmospheric CO₂ and stores it in the ocean while producing green hydrogen
• The technology uses electrochemical processes to increase ocean alkalinity, enhancing CO₂ absorption and mitigating ocean acidification
• Equatic's pilot plant in the Port of Los Angeles has demonstrated the feasibility of this approach

🔭 The context: With global emissions persisting, scientists are exploring marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) as a method to extract CO₂ from the atmosphere
• The ocean naturally absorbs about a quarter of human-caused CO₂ emissions, but this contributes to ocean acidification
• Equatic's technology aims to enhance this natural process while producing green hydrogen, a clean energy source

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Combining CO₂ removal with green hydrogen production could address climate change and energy challenges simultaneously
• However, concerns exist about the ecological impacts of altering ocean chemistry and the scalability of such technologies

⏭️ What's next: Equatic plans to scale up its operations, aiming to remove 4,000 tonnes of CO₂ and produce around 100 tonnes of hydrogen annually
• The company is seeking partnerships and funding to expand its technology

💬 One quote: "We have a technology that does two things pretty well" -  Edward Sanders, chief executive of Equatic. "One is we take CO₂ out of the atmosphere and we store that permanently. The second thing we do is produce green hydrogen"

📈 One stat: Equatic's process can durably store carbon in the ocean for thousands of years, according to the company and other marine carbon removal advocates

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