A startup in Nova Scotia is conducting trials to enhance carbon capture and storage in the ocean through a new pilot facility to validate the concept. The ocean has already absorbed approximately 30% of human-induced carbon emissions since the 1980s, serving as a significant reservoir for excess carbon dioxide.
pHathom, the company behind the initiative, aims to further reduce atmospheric emissions by capturing carbon dioxide and converting it into a form suitable for secure oceanic storage over millennia. The initial testing of their method will take place at the Huntsman Marine Science Centre in St. Andrews, N.B.
Kimberly Gilbert, the CEO and co-founder, emphasized the importance of demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of the local solution in addressing the global issue of climate change. The company’s technique replicates a natural process where raindrops absorb carbon dioxide from the air, becoming slightly acidic, and upon contact with alkaline rock, such as limestone, convert the carbon dioxide into bicarbonate.
By simulating this process in a reactor, pHathom accelerates the conversion of carbon dioxide by exposing seawater to the emissions from a biomass power plant, subsequently storing the resulting bicarbonate in the ocean for extended periods. Other companies in Nova Scotia are exploring similar carbon removal methods, known as alkalinity enhancement, including Planetary and CarbonRun.
The pilot phase of pHathom’s project targets capturing 0.1 tonnes of carbon dioxide daily, with the aim of scaling up operations in Nova Scotia next year. Despite the potential of carbon removal technologies, challenges such as energy consumption and scalability remain significant hurdles. However, the urgency of the climate crisis necessitates exploring all viable removal technologies while transitioning away from fossil fuels.
Canada has been recognized as a leader in ocean alkalinity enhancement research, with calls for international collaboration and regulatory frameworks to support such initiatives. Despite recent policy changes impacting the carbon capture and storage sector, Gilbert remains optimistic that economic and environmental imperatives will drive global action when the time is right.