California-based startup Equatic is testing a new technology that simultaneously removes carbon dioxide from the ocean and air while producing hydrogen as an alternative fuel.
As detailed by Bloomberg, the company is starting construction on a new factory in Singapore to scale up its carbon removal process to offset its own pollution. Once completed, the plant will have the capacity to capture approximately 3,650 tons (4,023 tons) of carbon dioxide per year while producing more than 100 tons of hydrogen per year.
Equatic’s technology helps the planet in two important ways. First, we can extract carbon dioxide from the air and oceans. This is important because too much gas causes the Earth to overheat. Second, it produces hydrogen, which is a less polluting fuel than dirty fuels like oil and gas.
What’s special about Equatic is that you can do both of these things at the same time.
Hydrogen is often touted as clean energy, especially when produced using renewable resources such as wind or solar power. When these clean resources are used to produce hydrogen fuel through a process called electrolysis (splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen), the only byproduct is water.
Equatic’s work is promising, but it’s important to test the technology under many conditions. A new demonstration plant in Singapore will be used to test whether the system can withstand more harmful seawater than the pure water it has been using.
“All these systems have very high performance, so [capital expenditure]”Especially in the early stages, we need to prove that we can tolerate fairly dirty inputs,” said Mark Daly, head of technology innovation at BloombergNEF.
By diversifying clean energy sources, reducing carbon pollution, and fostering innovation, Equatic appears to be charting a concrete path towards a sustainable future.
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