Solid Carbon, a partnership between Ocean Networks Canada and an international team of researchers, has been awarded nearly $17 million (CA$24 million) in funding by the Government of Canada and the New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF).
This funding will serve to advance the research on Solid Carbon’s offshore carbon dioxide removal (CDR) solution based on ocean floor basalt.
Basalt, a material largely available and present all over the global ocean floor, offers a pathway for addressing excessive CO2 emissions by mineralizing and storing them safely and permanently in the sub-seafloor in the form of rock.
The NFRF’s Transformation stream is an initiative introduced by the Canadian federal government that will distribute more than $1 million (more than CA$142 million) towards large-scale, Canadian-led research projects on promising innovations that tackle climate change.
Solid Carbon: The Ocean’s Rock-Solid Sociotechnical Climate Solution is one of six recipients of the funding.
Its team of leading scientists and experts will utilize this financial boost to continue the ongoing research and to engage in communication with the public, holding consultations with coastal and Indigenous communities.
The Solid Carbon project will also unveil a small-scale demonstration project, and the team is considering a site located in the Tang.ɢwan – ḥačxwiqak – Tsig̱is Marine Protected Area (TḥT MPA) for this deployment.
This specific location is home to existing technology installations by the international science community, and Ocean Networks Canada will ensure that all scientific activities in the area are conducted in accordance with regulatory processes.
Relevant: Equatic And Arup Team Up On World’s First Large-Scale Ocean CDR Facility
For the past eight years, Solid Carbon has been conducting feasibility studies and experiments in an area of sea-floor basalt located 200 km off the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
According to Kate Moran, lead project researcher and president and CEO of Ocean Networks Canada, as part of this research, Solid Carbon will utilize ONC’s cutting-edge subsea cabled infrastructure for 24/7 monitoring of activities, which will be broadcasted and publicly available on the internet.
Read more: The National Academies Ocean Studies Board To Establish A Standing Committee On mCDR
