Ebb Carbon has secured a historic, first-of-its-kind National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit for its Macoma marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) pilot project.
This major achievement marks the first time a mCDR project has been permitted under the Clean Water Act’s NPDES framework, which serves to protect environmental and human health when discharges to federal waters occur.
With this permit at hand, Ebb Carbon will advance the work on project Macoma in Port Angeles, making sure it follows the strict regulations effective in the state of Washington—one of the world’s most environmentally protected jurisdictions.
The project represents a temporary mCDR initiative that will operate for up to two years. During that time, it will aim to remove up to 1,000 tonnes of atmospheric CO2 using Ebb Carbon’s novel electrochemical technology.
Besides removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, the project will also improve the water quality in Port Angeles Harbor, tackling the issue of coastal acidification in this region.
Ebb Carbon set out to develop Project Macoma after spending more than a year refining its technology at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Sequim, Washington.
While there, the company collaborated with leading experts and scientists from the fields of biogeochemistry, ocean acidification, ocean modeling, and marine ecology, who contributed their input on using electrochemical technology for addressing climate change challenges.
Project Macoma was shaped around the environmental needs and climate priorities in the state of Washington, paying special attention to the local issue of ocean acidification.
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Over a period of two years, Ebb Carbon interacted with local stakeholders, gathering feedback on their necessities, which were then taken into consideration when designing project Macoma.
The company managed to secure the permits required for the project in under nine months.
Having secured this administrative foundation, over the next two years, Ebb Carbon intends to work towards scaling mCDR operations, keeping in line with rigorous monitoring and reporting requirements while improving the health of the ocean.
