Captura Corp, a CO2 removal firm established at Caltech, and AltaSea at the Port of Los Angelis announced on May 4 they will collaborate to advance ocean-based climate solutions. As part of their joint work, AltaSea’s 35-acre blue economy campus will host Captura’s ocean CO2 removal system that has the capacity to capture 100 tons of carbon from the ocean per year.
The new system is a 100-fold scale-up from Captura’s pilot project operating at Newport Beach, California since August last year. The new system has been operating in the company’s lab in Pasadena and Capura plans to move it to AltaSea in the upcoming months for ocean trials. The latest system was funded by Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas).
AltaSea’s campus will serve as a site for testing, research, and analysis to validate and scale Captura’s Direct Ocean Capture technology. It will also allow for community engagement and partnerships within the blue economy.
Relevant: “There Really Isn’t A Limit To Captura’s Carbon Removal Capacity” – CEO Steve Oldham
“We’re thrilled to be welcoming Captura and their innovative solution to the AltaSea community,” said AltaSea President & CEO Terry Tamminen. “This is what AltaSea is all about – bringing together key players from across the blue economy to scale ground-breaking technologies, forge new partnerships, and convene important conversations on topics critical to the fight against climate change.”
Direct Ocean Capture leverages the ocean’s natural capacity to serve as a carbon sink. Captura’s technology is powered by renewable energy and uses proprietary electrodialysis technology to capture carbon directly from the water to be permanently sequestered or utilized.
At the new location, Captura will perform ocean modeling work to allow the company to validate and improve the effectiveness of the pilot project, as well as conduct feasibility studies and monitor the resulting drawdown of carbon from the atmosphere. The company will also evaluate the effects of Direct Ocean Capture on the marine ecosystem, including its capacity to mitigate acidification.
Read more: Captura Closes $12M Series A Round To Develop Ocean Carbon Removal Tech