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A proposed ocean-carbon-removal method would use electricity to make acid and base from seawater, then put them in different parts of the ocean. In simulations reported in 2022, this approach could remove up to 3 gigatonnes of carbon a year over 50 years—but that is a model projection, not a measured or operating result. The proposal also deliberately makes deep water more acidic, so its potential carbon benefit is not proof of ecological safety.
How could changing ocean acidity lower atmospheric carbon dioxide?
The proposal, described by Michael Tyka, C. Van Arsdale, and J. C. Platt, is to use electrochemical processes powered by energy to split seawater into an acidic stream and a basic stream. Instead of adding large quantities of crushed terrestrial minerals, the method would redistribute acidity within the ocean.
- Make acid and base from seawater. Electrochemical equipment separates seawater into the two streams. Wave, wind, or ocean thermal energy are discussed as possible power sources, not as demonstrated system designs.
- Release the acid at depth. The acidic stream would be delivered near naturally occurring carbonate sediments. Lower pH is intended to speed the sediments’ dissolution.
- Move dissolved carbon through the ocean. Dissolution produces bicarbonate, which would eventually circulate toward surface waters.
- Use the base near the surface. The basic stream is intended to stabilize surface pH and support continued uptake of atmospheric CO₂.
This is a proposed carbon-cycle intervention, not an established deployment. The mechanism and estimates here are reported in Chemistry World’s 2022 account, which cites the peer-reviewed paper by Tyka, Van Arsdale, and Platt in Energy & Environmental Science (DOI: 10.1039/d1ee01532j).
What did the simulations estimate?
Chemistry World reported the following model outputs and cost estimate in 2022. They should not be read as field results or as current commercial performance.
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| Reported figure | What it means | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 3 gigatonnes of carbon removed annually over 50 years | A simulated removal rate for the proposed intervention | Model projection reported by Chemistry World in 2022, not measured removal. [c002] |
| No more than 0.2 pH-unit decrease in modeled deep water | The reported maximum deep-water pH change in the simulation | Model output reported by Chemistry World in 2022, not a field measurement. [c002] |
| $93–297 per tonne of CO₂ captured | A minimum modeled cost range | Reported in 2022 and dependent on deployment at a scale orders of magnitude larger than current uses of the relevant technologies; it is not a demonstrated commercial price. [c003] |
The peer-reviewed paper is identified as M. D. Tyka, C. Van Arsdale, and J. C. Platt, Energy & Environmental Science (2022), DOI 10.1039/d1ee01532j. Chemistry World’s report is the source for the figures above; the publisher landing page was not accessible to independently verify the paper’s detailed methods or assumptions.
What are the environmental trade-offs?
The design intentionally shifts pH in opposite directions: it aims to raise surface-water alkalinity while making deep water more acidic near carbonate deposits. A more alkaline surface does not by itself establish that all ecosystem effects would be beneficial, and the reported account does not provide field validation of sustained deep-ocean acidification or its ecological consequences.
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Phil Renforth, an engineer and geochemist at Heriot-Watt University, commented on the model’s pH distribution: “While the deep ocean becomes more acidic in their model, the surface ocean pH increases, which may be good news for surface dwelling organisms and ecosystems sensitive to ocean acidification.” This is a qualified observation about modeled conditions, not evidence that the intervention is safe for ecosystems.
Why is the cost estimate uncertain?
The reported $93–297 per tonne figure is a modeled minimum, not a price observed in a working facility. Chemistry World quoted Renforth warning that “the scale of deployment examined in the study is so many orders of magnitude larger than what these technologies are used for today… time will tell which ones can get cheaper with scale.” Scaling equipment and operations to the level assumed by the model is therefore a major uncertainty, alongside engineering performance and real-world lifecycle costs.
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What is established—and what remains unknown?
- Proposed: seawater could be electrochemically separated into acid and base, with the streams used at different depths to alter how carbon moves through the ocean.
- Projected: the 2022 simulations and cost analysis suggest a possible removal rate and minimum cost under their modeled conditions.
- Not established by the reported evidence: that a full-scale system can achieve those figures, that its lifecycle costs match the model, or that sustained changes in deep-water acidity would be ecologically acceptable.
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