New electrochemical technology could de-acidify the oceans – and even remove carbon dioxide in the process

By Charles-Francois de Lannoy, McMaster University, Bassel A. Abdelkader, McMaster University, Jocelyn Riet, University of Toronto

In the effort to combat the catastrophic impacts of global warming, we must accelerate carbon emissions reduction efforts and rapidly scale strategies to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and the oceans. The technologies for reducing our carbon emissions are mature; those for removing carbon from the environment are not, and need robust support from governments and the private sector.

Only 45 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions remain in the atmosphere; the remainder is absorbed through two cycles: 1) the biological carbon cycle stores CO2 in plant matter and soils, and 2) the aqueous carbon cycle absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere into the oceans. Each of these cycles accounts for 25 per cent and 30 per cent of emitted CO2, respectively.

CO2 that dissolves in the oceans reacts to form chemicals that increase the acidity of the oceans. The dissolution of minerals from rocks along coastlines act to counterbalance this acidity, in a process called geological weathering, but the extreme increase in the rate and volume of CO2 emissions, especially over the last 60 years, has far exceeded the rate of geological weathering, leading to a 30 per cent increase in ocean acidity.

As the oceans acidify, millions of marine species and whole ecosystems — especially coral reefs — will be unable to adapt.

We are overwhelming the Earth’s natural re-balancing systems and harming its ecosystems in the process. Our recent work at McMaster University and the University of Toronto, supported by the Carbon to Sea Initiative, has attempted to address these challenges.

The challenge ahead

The good news is it is possible to re-balance the pH of the oceans using a process called ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE). What’s more, this rebalancing will also encourage additional CO2 to be absorbed from the atmosphere. By carefully and continually restoring the ocean’s alkalinity, ocean acidification and excess atmospheric CO2 concentrations can be tackled simultaneously.

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