The American company Calcarea is developing a groundbreaking technology to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from cargo ships and convert them into ocean salts. This innovative approach, currently being tested with a reactor at the Port of Los Angeles, aims to make international shipping more environmentally friendly.
By August Roberts
Tackling Shipping Emissions
International shipping is responsible for transporting 80% of global trade, contributing approximately 3% of the world’s CO2 emissions. Despite the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) tightened emission targets aimed at achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, low-carbon fuels like methanol and ammonia are not yet widely available. Calcarea offers a novel solution: reactors on cargo ships that convert CO2 emissions into ocean salts, which can be stored for up to 100,000 years.
Accelerating a Natural Process
Calcarea’s technology mimics a natural process where seawater absorbs about a third of atmospheric CO2. In this process, CO2 reacts with calcium carbonate to form bicarbonate, effectively locking away the carbon. While this natural reaction typically takes over 10,000 years, Calcarea’s reactor speeds it up to about a minute. The reactor combines ship exhaust with seawater and limestone, a calcium carbonate-rich rock, to facilitate this rapid transformation.
Overcoming Challenges and Prototyping
Calcarea has developed two prototype reactors, tested at the Port of Los Angeles and on a University of Southern California parking lot. The next step is installing these reactors on cargo ships, which presents technical challenges such as integrating the reactors and loading limestone. The current estimated cost of the technology is about $100 per ton of captured CO2, accounting for the potential loss of cargo space due to the reactor’s footprint.
The Future of CO2 Capture
Similar CO2-reduction technologies for ships, such as scrubbers that capture sulfur emissions, already exist but have limitations and can harm marine environments. Calcarea’s approach accelerates a natural process without exacerbating ocean acidification, making it both efficient and safe for marine ecosystems. Experts like Princeton University’s Daniel Sigman recognize this method’s potential to sustainably reduce carbon emissions.
Calcarea’s technology could play a crucial role in decarbonizing the shipping industry. In the future, specially designed ships could capture atmospheric CO2 and convert it into bicarbonate at sea, offering an alternative to underground carbon storage. Calcarea presents a promising solution for reducing carbon emissions and protecting the planet.
Based on content from www.cnn.com