UCLA engineers develop solution to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide

Researchers from the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering have developed a groundbreaking electrochemical process in an effort to mitigate climate change, which removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by leveraging the world's oceans. 

The team, led by Gaurav Sant, the director of the UCLA Institute for Carbon Management, demonstrated the SeaChange technology at AltaSea in the Port of Los Angeles Wednesday. 

"The need for scalable and sustainable solutions to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide is more urgent than ever, and we are proud to lead the charge in developing innovative solutions," said Sant.

Engineers said the oceans are the world's largest carbon sink, capable of holding nearly 150 times more carbon dioxide than the atmosphere. The SeaChange technology uses an electrochemical process to enhance and restore the ocean's capacity for carbon dioxide removal on a global scale. 

The process works by taking in seawater and converting dissolved carbon dioxide, calcium, and magnesium into solid limestone and brucite, similar to how some marine organisms form seashells. The alkalinized seawater, now depleted of CO2, is then released back into the ocean, engineers added. 

The pilot plants, which are located in Los Angeles and Singapore, will soon be operational to test the technology's effectiveness in mitigating atmospheric CO2. 

The SeaChange technology, which was developed at UCLA and spun out as a startup, has received significant funding from various sources, including $1 million from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy Program.