An increase in ocean alkalinity could be achieved by dissolving rocks and minerals either directly in the open ocean or through engineered systems. At Schmidt Marine, we created the Ocean Job Board to help drive ocean conservation forward by providing access to top jobs across the community. When the concentration of CO2 in the ocean is less than the concentration of CO2 in the air, the greenhouse gas dissolves into the water. This process will make a minor change to the local pH in the waters receiving the alkalinity. This would lead to a build-up of calcium,. The Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement R&D Program is an ambitious effort to evaluate the technical feasibility of alkalinity enhancement as an efficient method for sequestering atmospheric CO2, and to identify under what conditions it could be deployed safely. These include spreading finely ground alkaline substances over the open ocean, depositing alkaline sand or gravel on beaches or coastal flats, and reacting seawater with alkaline minerals inside reactors before releasing the modified seawater back into the ocean. The report estimates $125 . Ocean alkalinity enhancement is an approach to carbon removal that involves adding alkaline substances to seawater to accelerate the oceans natural carbon sink. This is a carbon and energy expensive process, where approximately 0.8 tonnes of CO2 are produced at a point source for every tonne sequestered. An RFP for this effort will be published in the next few months. These factors include location (e.g., physical and biogeochemical environment where the alkalinity is added) and the mode, frequency, and rate of alkalinity addition. We recognize that modification of seawater carbonate chemistry may have undesired environmental impacts, and that further research may show that these outweigh the benefits of alkalinity enhancement in permanently removing CO2 from the atmosphere. Posted on March 13, 2020by julia This is a useful synthesis of current knowledge on ocean alkalinity enhancement, an approach to carbon removal that could have far-reaching effects (both positive and negative) on the ocean and coastal communities. Ren. Ocean alkalinity enhancement is a particularly promising ocean CDR approach. The mechanism were using in this project is to use electrochemistry to produce a pure, mild form of alkalinity. Rock weathering is often referred to as Earths Thermostat since it moderates the temperature of the planet. Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) has been proposed as a method to remove carbon dioxide (CO 2) from the atmosphere and to counteract ocean acidification. Specifically, following alkalinity addition, CO2 is converted into bicarbonate ions (HCO3) and carbonate ions (CO32), and these chemical changes lead to a rise in pH (Kheshgi, 1995; Gore et al., 2019). Testing ocean alkalinity enhancement as a method to restore ecosystem services impacted by ocean acidification. I did mention that this Biological Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (BOAE) project "Hijacked" the biomineralization pathways. For example, on geologic timescales, the dissolution of alkaline silicate minerals plays a major role in restoring ocean chemistry via addition of alkalinity to the ocean and conversion of CO2 into other dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) species (Archer et al., 2009). The energy to create alkalinity is comparable to the energy to synthesize seashells! The knowledge base available for each method and . While OAE is potentially efficient, permanent, and scalable on paper, it remains a theoretical concept with many open questions which we hope to answer. Irrespective of the mode of alkalinity enhancement, estimated costs remain above (or close to) $100 per net ton removed, largely as a result of high energy . This amounts to capturing carbon dioxide and trapping it back in mineral form. OAE can, at least on paper, sequester billions tons of CO2annually for tens or even hundreds of thousands of years, imitating geologic weathering processes that have sequestered trillions of tons of atmospheric CO2in the ocean over millennia. The report says there is high confidence in its efficacy. This process occurs naturally over geologic time as alkalinity is produced through the slow weathering of rocks, such as limestone or basalt, and subsequent runoff of the alkaline molecules into the ocean. Despite global efforts to mitigate emissions and decarbonize the economy, it is unlikely that extreme ecosystem effects can be fully averted without carbon dioxide removal (CDR) mechanisms.This document makes an attempt at discussing current knowledge and knowledge gaps relating to the local and global application of ocean alkalinity . The feasibility of ocean alkalinity enhancement . . Ocean alkalinization is an approach to carbon removal that involves adding alkaline substances to seawater to enhance the ocean's natural carbon sink. . Adding alkalinity via natural or enhanced weathering is counteracted by the precipitation of carbonate, which reduces alkalinity and, in today's ocean, is driven almost entirely by calcifying organisms. Then, to simulate ocean alkalinity enhancement, we added different amounts of carbonates to each mesocosm to increase alkalinity - except for one, which we left as an untreated control. The Global Potential for Converting Renewable Electricity to Negative-CO2-Emissions Hydrogen, Rau, G.H., H.D. This team will also set up a handful of pre-permitted test-bed sites for field work, prototype testing, and early deployment. This alkalinity is then moved to the ocean and is used to enhance the oceans natural alkalinity. Jenkins & T. Kruger. A research strategy for ocean-based carbon dioxide removal and sequestration, pp 181-208. Should carbonates form, CO is still removed, but not as efficiently. Over hundreds of thousands of years, the carbonate species end up at the bottom of the ocean where they form carbonate rock. Expanding the Community for Ocean Solutions. September 01, 2020 to May 31, 2023. This video introduces ocean alkalinity enhancement as a potential carbon dioxide removal strategy.Learn more: www.oceancdr.net As CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere rise due to our emissions, it creates whats called a partial pressure difference in CO2 between the air and the surface ocean. To date, most attention has been paid to terrestrial EW applications (Khler et al., 2010; Schuiling and Tickell, 2010; Hartmann et al., 2013), with potential co-benefits in addition to CDR including stabilization of soil pH, addition of micronutrients, and crop fertilization (e.g., Manning, 2010). Second, what are the undesired effects of OAE on marine organisms and ecosystems (monitoring of environmental impacts) and how can they be mitigated? 2. Calcium oxide is created when temperatures of ca. Therefore, this approach has the potential to not only remove atmospheric CO2 but also counteract ocean acidification and thus contribute to the restoration of ecosystems threatened by it. As olivine dissolves, it adds alkalinity to seawater. When applied to the ocean, EW of minerals is achieved by adding large amounts of pulverized silicate or carbonate rock or their dissolution products, which adds alkalinity to the surface ocean and thereby locks CO2 into other forms of DIC, which is expected to promote atmospheric CO2 influx into the ocean. One idea is ocean alkalinity enhancement - adding minerals like olivine or other alkaline substances to the ocean that react with CO2 to form bicarbonate ions, which once again causes the ocean to take up more CO2 from the atmosphere. The Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement R&D Program is an ambitious effort to evaluate the technical feasibility of alkalinity enhancement as an efficient method for sequestering atmospheric CO 2, and to identify under what conditions it could be deployed safely. Institute for Carbon Removal Law & Policy on Facebook, Institute for Carbon Removal Law & Policy on Twitter, Institute for Carbon Removal Law & Policy on LinkedIn, Institute for Carbon Removal Law & Policy on Instagram, Professional Studies and Executive Education, Assessing Ocean Alkalinity for Carbon Sequestration. There are different ways to add alkalinity to the ocean. We may be able to greatly enhance this process via human-caused additions of alkaline material. Ocean Visions CDR Community brings together stakeholders to advance the state of knowledge, build bridges across disciplines, and help the community move towards safe and equitable testing and piloting of the most promising ocean-based CDR approaches. Award Period. Additional Ventures is committed to funding R&D in a responsible manner that accords with all applicable laws and regulations. Once we . Formation of these clays reduces the efficiency of ocean alkalinity enhancement, e.g. Distance between alkalinity sources and optimal distribution points could also be an influential factor. However, a critical knowledge gap exists regarding their dissolution in natural seawater. Adding alkalinity to the ocean converts dissolved inorganic CO, in seawater into bicarbonates and carbonates, which are stable forms of carbon with a lifetime of approximately 10,000 years. A cohort of technology innovation teams that build proof-of-concept prototypes for cost-effective, scalable, and reliable OAE deployment, including monitoring, reporting, and verification hardware. This approach is broadly inspired by Earth's modulation of alkalinity on geological timescales. The cost of ocean alkalinity enhancement will vary depending on the alkalinity source, transport, and distribution methods of alkalinity in the ocean. so, then this alkalinity can be produced in vast quantities in the ocean dead zones and distributed across the ocean's surface. 2022. "However, this would also release substances that would enter the marine environment, either by leaching into waterways from Enhanced Weathering on land or by being directly added through Ocean. Can OAE be cost-effectively deployed at scale? The sheer scale of the ocean means that any ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR) solutions proven to be viable and safe would have the potential to clean up billions of tons of CO2. Any MRV framework will have to focus on two major questions however. These include spreading finely ground alkaline substances over the open ocean, depositing alkaline sand or gravel on beaches or coastal seabeds, and reacting seawater with alkaline minerals inside specialized fuel cells before releasing it back into the ocean. Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement This approach chemically alters ocean water to increase its alkalinity in order to enhance reactions that take up atmospheric CO2. One of the plans, referred to as ocean alkalinity enhancement, would involve grinding up igneous rocks that are found on shorelines around . Increasing ocean pH via alkalinity enhancement may then be directly beneficial for organisms that are vulnerable to ocean acidification. This process provides needed alkalinity and minerals to marine life especially anything that makes a shell. This includes particle dissolution rate (when adding minerals), secondary precipitation, and CO, Large-scale and permanent modification of seawater carbon chemistry will have desired and undesired environmental impacts, and these impacts are likely to differ across the various modes of alkalinity addition. Ocean alkalinity enhancement involves adding alkalinity to ocean waters, either by discharging alkaline rocks or through an electrochemical process, which increases ocean pH levels and thereby enables greater uptake of carbon dioxide, as well as reducing the adverse impacts of ocean acidification. This technique mimics natural weathering processes but accelerates them by adding low doses of alkalinity to the ocean's surface, slightly increasing its pH and enhancing its ability to absorb CO 2 from the atmosphere. One proposed ocean-based CDR technique is ocean alkalinity1 enhancement (OAE) (Figure 7.1), also termed enhanced weathering (EW), proposed by Kheshgi (1995). The report estimates $125 million to $200 million for research, including field and laboratory . Willauer & Z.J. Ocean alkalinity enhancement has enormous potential to help mitigate the climate crisis, but steps must be taken to ensure that alkalinity addition is safe, and we still have a lot to learn. The BOAE project uses biological materials and nature inspired strategies to capture, concentrate and sequester CO2. CDR inefficiencies and challenges around carbon accounting stem from processes that occur once the alkalinity source is added to the seawater. Generally speaking, permitting of wastewater in Canada provides for this kind of addition limiting the change of pH to a maximum of 9 from the baseline of 8.1 in seawater. Our planet is being transformed by climate disruption, with some of the worst impacts occurring in the ocean. All rights reserved. First, how much CO2 is permanently moved from the atmosphere to the ocean and how quickly does this happen (carbon accounting)? coastal enhanced weathering of olivine which aims to sequester CO 2 as bicarbonate in the ocean . As Tim Flannery puts it, you can consider the ocean as a mirror of the atmosphere when it comes to CO2. Assessing Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement Through the Seasonality of the Mississippi River Alkalinity Flux. The ocean covers more than 70 percent of the planet. To remove the maximum amount of CO from the atmosphere, that alkalinity needs to persist in seawater. Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement Climate change is having an impact on across the world, and urgent action needs to be taken! Over the past 10-15 years, researchers have explored different solutions to reduce costs and speed up dissolution rates. Irrespective of the mode of alkalinity enhancement, estimated costs remain above (or close to) $100 per net ton removed, largely as a result of high energy costs. In this consensus report, OAE stands out as a potentially efficient and highly scalable CDR pathway that permanently sequesters CO2. Raw material production (e.g., mining, grinding, transport) and the energy sources which are used will greatly influence the net CO2removal. This working paper follows the NASEM approach in establishing a preliminary research agenda for ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE), and also outlines a technology maturation . An array of lab and field experiments are needed to fully understand the environmental impacts of, and species sensitivities to, alkalinity enhancement. Ocean Alkalinization When minerals such as silicate or even lime are crushed and distributed, they bind CO 2 in the weathering process. Cost estimates vary for different approaches. Ocean alkalinization is an approach to carbon removal that involves adding alkaline substances to seawater to enhance the oceans natural carbon sink. And the best part is this. There are two ways that the earth transfers carbon from the atmosphere to the ocean rock weathering and direct dissolution. To give a sense of scale, if you were to remove all the CO2 from the atmosphere and put it in the oceans, it would only increase the amount of carbon in ocean chemistry by 2%. Atlanta, Georgia, February 1, 2022: Additional Ventures is partnering with Ocean Visions and a consortium of philanthropic funders to announce the Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) Research Award. Direct dissolution of CO2 is far less of a beneficial process than rock weathering. Discussions are meant to inform understanding of the knowledge base, efficacy, scale, and viability to each approach. Billions of tons of alkaline minerals such as olivine, basalt, and carbonate are readily available to be mined and could be applied to beaches or the open ocean. The program includes three pillars: An ocean sciences and modeling team that is resourced and empowered to work creatively and iteratively to systematically assesses whether OAE can safely, permanently, and cost-effectively sequester atmospheric CO2 at scale.. Raw material production (e.g., mining, grinding, transport) and the energy sources which are used will greatly influence the net CO. removal. The Challenge 1000 degrees Celsius are used to heat high purity limestone. The governance of ocean alkalinity enhancement is also likely to be problematic, constrained by LC/LP regulation and strongly opposed by NGOs that reject climate interventions considered to interfere with nature. Land-based CDR methods such as afforestation or bioenergy with carbon capture and storage have received much attention recently. 1. 3 and Table 1). a news stream provided by the Ocean Acidification International Coordination Center (OA-ICC). Although the basic chemistry of ocean alkalinization is well understood and the individual components of most approaches are well developed, ocean alkalinization itself remains in the early stages of research and development. The threat of acidification includes a decline in commercial fisheries and in the Arctic tourism industry and economy . Environmental impacts Ocean Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement directly counters the changes in seawater chemistry brought on by ocean acidification. Seaweed cultivation involves the growing of . This transformation can help de-acidify seawater, turning the chemical clock of the ocean back to pre-industrial times. A number of ocean-based CDR approaches are being exploredincluding ocean alkalinity enhancement. despite global efforts to mitigate emissions and decarbonize the economy, it is unlikely that extreme ecosystem effects can be fully averted without carbon dioxide removal (cdr) mechanisms.this document makes an attempt at discussing current knowledge and knowledge gaps relating to the local and global application of ocean alkalinity enhancement Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement is not limited by mineral resources, but rather by the ability to scale up extraction or production of alkaline materials. The organisation, in partnership with Ocean Visions and a consortium of philanthropic funders, is offering funding for scientific teams to systematically assess whether OAE can safely, permanently and cost-effectively sequester atmospheric CO2 at scale. The report says there is high confidence in its efficacy. Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is a proposed method to counteract climate change by increasing the alkalinity of the surface ocean and thus the chemical storage capacity of seawater for atmospheric CO 2.The impact of OAE on marine ecosystems, including phytoplankton communities which make up the base of the marine food web, are largely unknown. CLOSED Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement Engineering Award. The idea is to accelerate natural rock weathering e.g., by spreading large amounts of pulverized silicate and/or carbonate minerals onto warm and humid land areas (EW) or onto the sea surface (OAE). "And, it could help to mitigate anthropogenic CO2 emissions by increasing the buffering capacity of the global ocean." The BOAE project is an electrochemical cell-free synthetic biology flow reactor. Like it or not, as Bach et al. This mildly alkaline water flows out through rivers and streams into the oceans. We believe that OAE R&D needs to be conducted with a prudent, step-by-step approach and that the nature, scale, duration, and intensity of experimentation and technology development should be proportionate to the current state of knowledge about potential adverse effects. Ocean alkalinity enhancement is an approach to carbon removal that involves adding alkaline substances to seawater to accelerate the ocean's natural carbon sink. ocean pH against the hazard from alkalinity enhancement is a challenge for marine and social scientists, ethicists, and for ocean governance. Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement. The ocean is one of nature's largest carbon sinks, as it absorbs upwards of 30% of cumulative human emissions. The report estimates $125 . While mitigating all anthropogenic emissions by increasing ocean alkalinity is unlikely to be technically possible or desirable, . (2019) have noted, our . Enhance the understanding of sustainable Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement as a carbon dioxide removal (CDR) method. brings together stakeholders to advance the state of knowledge, build bridges across disciplines, and help the community move towards safe and equitable testing and piloting of the most promising ocean-based CDR approaches. This includes particle dissolution rate (when adding minerals), secondary precipitation, and CO2 gas exchange dynamics. This dissolution forms carbonic acid and is responsible for acidifying our oceans. At the present time, the oceans are about 30% more acidic than they were at the start of the industrial revolution. The oceans already hold roughly 38,000 billion tons of carbon; their capacity to store additional carbon is, for practical purposes, unlimited. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggests that even aggressive mitigation measures to reduce CO, The ocean already contains 50 times more CO, Developing the most efficient deployment strategy requires identifying and understanding the main factors that will impact CDR efficacy. Ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is one of several proposed techniques for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in the oceans. CO2 removal with enhanced weathering and ocean alkalinity enhancement: Potential risks and co-benefits for marine pelagic ecosystems. These could have both positive and negative impacts on the marine ecosystem and change the composition of phytoplankton communities. . ocean in certain locations and/or times of year, thereby delaying equilibration (and as such CDR) for at least part of the added alkalinity. Ocean alkalinity enhancement involves adding alkalinity to ocean waters, either by discharging alkaline rocks or through an electrochemical process, which increases ocean pH levels and thereby enables greater uptake of carbon dioxide, as well as reducing the adverse impacts of ocean acidification. The resulting CO, deficit in surface waters is quickly rebalanced via a net movement of atmospheric CO. into the ocean, to reestablish equilibrium. At the request of the marine philanthropic funder Oceankind, CEA Consulting organized a convening of a dozen experts in the field, as well as a handful of philanthropic donors seeking to better understand the potential and limitations of ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE). It is also possible for alkalinity to be rapidly consumed by formation of secondary minerals such as clays and carbonates. The oceans are the largest store of carbon on the earth's surface, holding over 38,000 gigatonnes (billion tonnes) in their chemistry. Distance between alkalinity sources and optimal distribution points could also be an influential factor. This approach is broadly inspired by Earths modulation of alkalinity on geological timescales. Chapter 7 Ocean alkalinity enhancement. 2022 Ocean Alkalinity in Bedford Basin, It produces a very pure form of alkalinity, ensuring that no biologically active or toxic byproducts are added to the ocean, The alkalinity is highly insoluble in seawater which limits the amount that it can change the chemistry of the local ocean even if theres a spill, it wont change the pH of seawater beyond safe ranges, It produces alkalinity whose cation the ion that comes with it is already abundant in seawater chemistry this is not a new substance for the ocean. 0. . We may be able to greatly enhance this process via human-caused additions of alkaline material. . "Ocean alkalinity enhancement has the potential to offset the effects of ocean acidification by increasing pH levels and neutralizing the CO2 building up in the water," he says. CEA Consulting have put forward a thorough examination of ocean alkalinity enhancement, raising awareness about this process and its ability to remove atmospheric carbon dioxide. Alkaline molecules are a natural part of the ocean and its processes, but they are produced slowlyover hundreds to thousands of yearsas rock on land is weathered and the minerals are . Much research remains to be done to assess the efficacy and side effects of various approaches. three main methods, in addition to electrochemical approaches (reviewed in chapter 8 ), are currently being considered to enhance alkalinity in seawater: the dissolution of naturally occurring silicate-based minerals such as olivine, accelerated limestone weathering ( rau and caldeira, 1999 ), and dissolution of calcium carbonate Ocean alkalinity enhancement is one of several promising tools that could help achieve this goal. Ocean alkalinity enhancement is a field that a lot of people are very excited about, including those who . 2018. Adding alkalinity to the ocean removes carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere through a series of reactions that convert dissolved CO2 into stable bicarbonate and carbonate molecules, which in turn causes the ocean to absorb more CO2 from the air to restore equilibrium. Overview Technology Readiness CDR Potential Environmental Co-benefits Environmental Risks Social Risks Social Co-benefits. Chapter. The oceans contain 38,000 Gt C, some 45 times more than the present atmosphere, and oceanic uptake has already consumed close to 40% of anthropogenic C emissions [Sabine and Tanhua, 2010].On long timescales (~100-200 ka) the ocean and weathering will reduce atmospheric CO 2 to values close to preindustrial [Lord et al., 2016].So the issue is not capacity, but rather a question of how to . "Enhanced Weathering (EW)" and "Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE)" are two related NETs which are among the options to realize CDR ( Figure 1 ). Acceleration could be realized by pulverizing and distributing gigatons of these minerals onto land (termed "enhanced weathering (EW)") or sea (termed "ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE)"). National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Award Amount. If youd like to stay informed, send us an email at [email protected]. We must also clean up the legacy greenhouse gas pollution already in our atmosphere. Seaweed cultivation involves the growing of . For the chemical binding of carbon dioxide, alkaline substances, for example silicate or lime, are discharged directly into the surface water of the ocean. Impacts on human industry. Among various ocean negative-carbon-emission approaches or ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies, ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) is an approach that will decrease sea surface p CO 2 via the addition of alkaline materials and promote CO 2 uptake from the atmosphere. This technique mimics natural weathering processes but accelerates them by adding low doses of alkalinity to the ocean's surface, slightly increasing its pH and enhancing its ability to absorb CO 2 from the . Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement aims to replicate the rock weathering process and speed it up. 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These factors include location (e.g., physical and biogeochemical environment where the alkalinity is added) and the mode, frequency, and rate of alkalinity addition.