The oceans are a dominant sink for anthropogenic CO2, absorbing 25-40% of global annual emissions. Removing CO2 from seawater thus has the potential to enhance atmospheric CO2 uptake at gigaton scales and thereby mitigate climate change. This project will evaluate and optimize the carbon removal potential of a hydrogen-looping electrochemical system that uses electricity to extract CO2 from seawater.
Within the electrochemical system, the cathode produces hydrogen while generating base, and the anode consumes hydrogen while generating acid, with no net depletion of chemicals. A membrane selectively conducts Na ions and prevents acid-base mixing.
The work will experimentally establish a functional system, develop a hybrid process-earth system model, and identify regions for maximizing CO2 extraction and subsequent capture from the atmosphere.
