Planetary Technologies has won $1 million from XPRIZE’s Carbon Removal XFACTOR Award. The company’s technology injects antacid into the ocean to deal with acidification caused by excess CO2.
The ocean is the world’s largest carbon sink and has absorbed 30% of the excess CO2 produced by climate change. When seawater absorbs CO2 it sets off a series of chemical reactions that increase the concentration of hydrogen ions relative to carbonate ions, making the seawater more acidic. Carbonate ions are essential to the construction of sea shells and coral skeletons. So decreases in carbonate ions can it difficult for creatures such as oysters, clams and corals to build and maintain their shells and other calcium carbonate structures. Ocean acidification also hinders some fishes’ ability to detect predators.
So how do you balance acid? Planetary says with antacid. The company uses an alkaline antacid, currently Magnesium hydroxide which is widely used in wastewater facilities, to rebalance the pH.
The company said it partners with established coastal outfall facilities–including wastewater treatment plants and power plant cooling systems–to add alkalinity into seawater through existing infrastructure. This helps minimize disturbances to coastal marine ecosystems, allowing new projects to start without building permanent infrastructure. It also helps reduces the carbon and financial cost of a project as well as ensuring that regulations and effective and reliable monitoring systems are already in place.
“This award is a milestone for our team, but the impact goes so far beyond us. This is a win for all: The ocean, frontline coastal communities, and a climate future that is still within reach,” the company said in an announcement about the prize. “It reflects the strength of a simple idea: Restoring what’s been lost.”
“The process of seawater restoration may not be a household phrase yet, but the impact is real. Our pilot projects have already shown measurable results and meaningful potential for scale. Its not speculative, it’s happening right now. “
The XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition, launched in 2021, aims to tackle one of humanity’s biggest challenges: how to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and ocean at meaningful, scalable levels.
“At this critical turning point for our planet, the technologies developed by these winning teams represent hope with a broad range of approaches that are suitable for different geographies and can help the world reach net zero and ultimately reverse climate change,” said Anousheh Ansari, Chief Executive Officer, XPRIZE. “We cannot stabilize our climate without sustainably and safely extracting carbon from our atmosphere and oceans at large scales. I’m incredibly proud of the ways this XPRIZE competition catalyzed and fostered the innovation and collaboration necessary to build this critical new industry that was missing prior to our competition.”
