PLANETARY

XPRIZE TRACK
OCEAN

CDR PATHWAY(S)
Oceans - Ocean alkalinity enhancement
Rocks - Mineralization of mine or industrial waste

PHYSICAL PRODUCTS
None

FOUNDED
2019

GET IN TOUCH

Planetary Technologies Inc.
Dartmouth, Canada
www.planetarytech.com

Mike Kelland
[email protected]

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Planetary enhances the ocean’s natural ability to fight climate change through Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE). Working collaboratively with all our stakeholders, we are developing a number of ocean carbon removal projects worldwide. At the heart of our projects is our Ocean Carbon Platform (OCP), which provides a cost effective and sustainable set of tools for use in qualifying alkalinity sources, automating alkalinity addition operations, monitoring ocean safety, and measuring and monetizing ocean carbon removals.

CORE INNOVATION

Planetary is the cheapest CDR process at scale. Using existing byproducts and infrastructure, our process requires negligible energy and capex. With alkaline byproducts set to grow from 1Gt/y CDR potential to as high as 8.5Gt/y by 2100, and scale estimates for OAE of > 100Gt/y, the process costs will remain low even as other CDRs run out of room. This is strengthened by Planetary’s unique set of IP, products, systems and partnerships.

CO2 CAPTURE

We add low carbon alkalinity to existing coastal outfalls. The most common alkalinity examples include magnesium hydroxide or calcium hydroxide. This alkalinity neutralizes acidic CO2 that is present in seawater by converting it into carbonate and bicarbonate ions that are already abundant in the ocean. As ocean CO2 is chemically consumed by this process, the ocean absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere to bring the air and ocean back into CO2 equilibrium.

CO2 SEQUESTRATION

The mean seawater residence time of alkaline dissolved carbon (bicarbonate and carbonate ions (charged-balanced by cations other than H+)) is about 100,000 yrs, based on the annual input of alkaline carbon from rivers (0.3 GtC/yr), the alkaline pool of dissolved alkaline carbon resident in the ocean (about 34,000 GtC), and assuming steady state (Middelburg et al. 2020). Any additional alkaline carbon added should behave in the same way.

CO-BENEFITS OR PRODUCTS

The project provides significant ecological co-benefits due to de-acidification at the outfall, improving the marine environment and benefiting fishing and shellfish industries. Local communities gain employment, an increase in CDR research funding, educational opportunities, talent attraction, economic development, and an increased international profile. Finally, the use of byproducts remediates and returns land to local communities.