Syllabus: Environment

• Project SeaCURE is an ambitious initiative launched on England’s south coast, designed to enhance the ocean’s role in addressing climate change.
• This pioneering pilot project, based in Weymouth, aims to extract carbon dioxide (CO₂) directly from seawater.
• Funded by the UK government, it explores cutting-edge technologies to improve the ocean’s ability to absorb and store CO₂.

The Project’s Goal

• SeaCURE targets the ocean as a powerful carbon sink, where CO₂ concentrations are higher than in the atmosphere.
• By removing carbon from seawater, the project seeks to develop a scalable, cost-effective solution to reduce atmospheric CO₂ levels.
• It is part of the UK’s broader strategy to explore and scale up carbon capture technologies that can mitigate climate change.

How It Works

• The process begins by pumping seawater into a specialized facility, where it undergoes acidification.
• This treatment helps convert dissolved carbon into gas, which is then captured before it escapes back into the atmosphere.
• The captured CO₂ is concentrated using sustainable materials, such as charred coconut husks, for safe and secure storage.
• Afterward, the treated seawater is neutralized and returned to the ocean, ready to absorb more CO₂.

Potential Impact

• SeaCURE has the potential to remove vast amounts of CO₂. If just 1% of the world’s surface seawater were processed, estimates suggest that up to 14 billion tonnes of CO₂ could be removed from the atmosphere each year.
• For this to be viable, however, the entire operation would need to be powered by renewable energy, such as floating solar panels, ensuring that the carbon removal process itself doesn’t contribute to further emissions.

Challenges and Concerns

• While SeaCURE holds promise, it faces several challenges.
• The process of generating the acid and alkaline materials needed for carbon extraction is energy-intensive.
• If the required energy is not sourced sustainably, the environmental benefits could be diminished or even undone.
• Additionally, there are concerns about the potential ecological impact of releasing large volumes of altered seawater back into the ocean, which could affect marine ecosystems.

The Issue of Ocean Acidification

• Project SeaCURE also highlights the growing problem of ocean acidification.
• As the oceans absorb increasing amounts of CO₂, their pH levels drop, making them more acidic.
• This shift in the ocean’s chemistry can negatively affect marine life, especially organisms that rely on carbon for essential processes, such as coral reefs and shellfish.
• Managing this balance is crucial to ensuring that solutions like SeaCURE do not unintentionally harm marine ecosystems.

Looking Ahead

• SeaCURE is one of 15 pilot projects funded by the UK’s carbon capture program, with experts seeing it as a crucial step toward achieving net-zero emissions.
• By refining and scaling up ocean-based carbon capture techniques, the ocean could become a more deliberate tool in the fight against climate change—provided the environmental challenges are carefully managed.
• The future of SeaCURE and similar projects could significantly shape how we address the climate crisis on a global scale.