Could taking carbon out of the sea cool down the planet?

A ground-breaking project to suck carbon out of the sea is now operational on England’s south coast.

The small pilot scheme, known as SeaCURE, is funded by the UK government as part of its search for technologies that combat climate change.

While reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a priority among climate scientists, the SeaCURE project aims to capture already emitted gases as part of the solution.

Projects that focus on carbon capture typically aim to capture emissions at their source or remove them from the air.

SeaCURE stands out by exploring the efficiency of extracting carbon from the ocean, where it is found in higher concentrations compared to the air.

Accessing the project entrance requires navigating around the back of the Weymouth Sealife Centre, passing by a sign warning about Moray Eels.

The strategic location at Weymouth involves a pipe under the stony beach that brings seawater for processing.

The project aims to investigate the cost-effectiveness of extracting carbon from seawater to reduce CO2 levels in the atmosphere.

SeaCURE treats seawater to remove carbon before returning it to the sea, where it continues to absorb CO2.

The SeaCURE project is the first of its kind funded by the UK government and is exploring the potential of extracting carbon from seawater.

Dr. Paul Halloran, the project lead, highlights the advantage of using seawater, which has significantly higher carbon content compared to air.

While the current CO2 removal capacity of the pilot project is relatively small, SeaCURE envisions scaling up to potentially remove billions of tonnes of CO2 annually by processing seawater.

The project’s long-term goal involves powering the carbon stripping process with renewable energy, such as solar panels at sea.