Exploring Direct Ocean Capture as the Next Leap in Carbon Removal

In recent years, direct air capture (DAC) has gained attention as a potential solution to the growing climate crisis. However, the cost and energy requirements of DAC have made it a challenging method to scale effectively. Now, a startup originally from Iceland, Brineworks, is introducing a different approach that could offer a more cost-efficient and sustainable solution—removing carbon from seawater. Based in Amsterdam, Brineworks specializes in seawater electrolysis technology, which it claims can capture CO2 at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods.

The current cost of direct air capture ranges between $230 and $630 per metric ton of CO2, according to the International Energy Agency. In comparison, Brineworks says its seawater electrolysis process could potentially capture CO2 for less than $100 per ton at scale. This would make the process far more affordable than existing methods. Brineworks recently secured $2.2 million in funding, led by the Nordic VC firm Pale Blue Dot, to further develop and scale its technology.

As the planet continues to grapple with rising temperatures, keeping global warming below the critical threshold of 1.5°C is essential to avoiding catastrophic weather events. We’ve already seen the devastating impacts of climate change, including severe hurricanes like Hurricane Helene, which ravaged several U.S. states. Reducing the enormous levels of carbon released into the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution is crucial in mitigating further climate damage.

Brineworks is betting that its direct ocean capture (DOC) technology could provide a "sustainable, scalable, and cost-effective" solution to carbon removal. In a conversation with **TechCrunch**, Brineworks CEO Gudfinnur Sveinsson explained that the company’s seawater electrolyzer not only extracts CO2 from seawater but also produces green hydrogen as a byproduct. This additional product creates a potential revenue stream, making the technology more economically viable. Furthermore, since the process can be powered by solar or wind energy and hydrogen can be stored in tanks, the technology can operate off-grid, making it suitable for remote locations.

Brineworks’ approach takes advantage of the fact that the ocean contains a much higher concentration of CO2 than the atmosphere—about 150 times higher. This means that extracting carbon from seawater requires significantly less energy compared to capturing it from the air, making DOC a more efficient process. As a result, Brineworks could play a key role in the growing trend toward ocean-based carbon capture technologies.

The startup is not alone in exploring ocean-based solutions. Calcarea, a Caltech-founded company, is working on technology to capture CO2 directly from ships and convert it into stable ocean salts. Another player in the DOC space is Captura, which has raised $34.5 million in funding from investors, including Maersk Growth and Freeflow Ventures, to develop its own carbon-capture technology.

Brineworks has already begun its first pilot project in the Canary Islands, where it aims to capture one metric ton of CO2 per week. As the company continues to refine its process, its technology could become an important part of global efforts to tackle climate change. With more affordable and scalable methods like DOC, carbon capture could move from a niche solution to a key strategy in reducing atmospheric CO2 levels and mitigating climate change's worst effects.