Ocean Carbon Capture Tech Firm Launches Final Pilot Plant

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Ocean Carbon Capture Tech Firm Launches Final Pilot Plant

California-based carbon removal company Captura Corp., a California-based carbon removal company, has begun operations at its latest pilot plant in Kona, Hawaii, in partnership with oil giant Equinor AS. The plant can capture 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually, Captura said in a news release, adding that the facility marks a “major milestone in […]

The plant can capture 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually, Captura said in a news release, adding that the facility marks a “major milestone in the commercialization of direct ocean capture (DOC) technology,” which is a process that leverages the ocean to remove excess CO2 from the atmosphere.

The plant is the third and final pilot in the company’s technology development program, and prepares the DOC technology for deployment in large, commercial systems worldwide, it said. The modular technologies have been successfully demonstrated at two prior pilot plants in Los Angeles, the company added.

In Hawaii, the CO2 captured at the plant will be provided to a range of local industries, such as aquaculture operators, to help reduce the carbon intensity of their operations, according to Captura. The facility is operating at the Hawai‘i Ocean Science and Technology (HOST) Park, an ocean research facility run by the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA).

DOC technology works by extracting CO2 directly from the upper ocean. “By leveraging natural oceanic processes, requiring no feedstock, and generating no waste, the DOC approach to carbon removal offers an inherently scalable and efficient way to remove vast quantities of atmospheric CO2,” according to the release.

Captura said its DOC technology combines innovations in electrodialysis and gas extraction with widely available water and gas handling systems.

Captura stated that it is proceeding with initial design work for its first large-scale commercial facility, with an expected annual capture capacity of tens of thousands of tons of CO2.

“Captura’s journey from lab-scale testing to our third technology demonstration in just three years is a testament to the scalability of our solution,” Captura CEO Steve Oldham said. “This facility in Hawaii is the last milestone before we move to widespread commercial deployment of DOC technology. Its rapid installation and commissioning in just over two months demonstrates how our simple, modular design is ready to be scaled quickly to help address the urgent climate and energy challenge”.

In June 2023, Equinor Ventures led a $12 million investment in Captura, along with Aramco Ventures, the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), Future Planet Capital, Hitachi Ventures, and mTerra Ventures.

Equinor and Captura announced their partnership to develop industrial-scale solutions for CO2 removal in November 2023.

In January 2024, Captura expanded its Series A funding round to raise an additional $21.5 million, with Maersk Growth, Eni Next, and EDP Ventures joining as new investors. Many of Captura’s existing backers also re-invested, including Future Planet Capital who led the expanded round, Equinor Ventures, Freeflow Ventures, Hitachi Ventures, Aramco Ventures, mTerra Ventures, and EIC Rose Rock Venture Fund.

Captura raised an initial $12 million in January 2023 and increased its Series A financing to “reflect growing momentum as the company progresses its technology pilot program and begins design work for commercial plants,” it said in an earlier statement.

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