Captura, a California-based carbon removal company specializing in direct ocean capture (DOC), has officially opened a new pilot plant in Kona, Hawaii.
The new pilot facility, developed in partnership with energy company Equinor, will have an annual carbon capture capacity of 1,000 tons.
This milestone development follows the success of two previous pilot plants launched in Los Angeles, which were used to demonstrate Captura’s modular DOC technology that combines innovations in electrodialysis and gas extraction with widely available water and gas handling systems.
Building on this progress, the Hawaii pilot plant will serve to prepare the innovative DOC system for large-scale deployment. This third pilot project is Captura’s final step before proceeding towards widespread commercial distribution of DOC technology.
Located at the Hawaii Ocean Science and Technology (HOST) Park, an advanced ocean research facility run by the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA), the pilot plant will capture CO2 that will then be channeled towards a range of local industries, such as aquaculture operators.
Captura’s carbon removal approach includes extracting CO2 from the upper ocean layer, freeing up capacity for further natural carbon absorption by the ocean.
By relying on natural processes that don’t require feedstock and don’t generate waste, Captura’s technology offers a scalable and efficient pathway for removing significant amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide.
CEO Steve Oldham commented on this advancement, “Captura’s journey from lab-scale testing to our third technology demonstration in just three years is a testament to the scalability of our solution.”
Relevant: Captura Boosts Commercialization Plans With New RD&D Capacity In Hawaii And LA
He goes on to add, “This facility in Hawaii is the last milestone before we move to widespread commercial deployment of DOC technology. Its rapid installation and commissioning in just over two months demonstrates how our simple, modular design is ready to be scaled quickly to help address the urgent climate and energy challenge.”
In the meantime, Captura is also working on the initial design for its first large-scale commercial facility that is projected to have an annual CO2 capture capacity of tens of thousands of tons.
