CLIMATE CHALLENGE - Isis Innovation

Using the Oceans as a Carbon SinkArranging consultancy work through Oxford University ConsultingCquestrate is developing a ‘carbon negative’ process – one that reduces the concentration of carbondioxide in the atmosphere. Unlike most ideas, which aim to tackle climate change it does not reduceemissions, but rather removes emissions after they have been produced. If performed on a largeenough scale it could reduce the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to pre-industrial levels.The process enhances the capacity of the oceans to act as acarbon sink by adding calcium hydroxide to seawater, whereit reacts with carbon dioxide already dissolved in the oceansto form calcium bicarbonate, which remains in solution. Thishas two effects: it allows the oceans to absorb more carbondioxide from the atmosphere and it raises the pH of theocean, thereby mitigating ocean acidification.Cquestrate has received funding from Shell to investigatethe proposed process and turned to a team led byProfessor Gideon Henderson at the Department of EarthSciences at Oxford University to write a report on theenvironmental consequences on the ocean of undertakingthe process on a scale sufficient to stabilise atmosphericcarbon dioxide levels.The report concluded that “Overall, there appears to beno serious flaw in the Cquestrate scheme from an oceanperspective”, but that further work is required to assess theworkability and impact of the process.Cquestrate is developing the process in an open-source way,so full details of the process and the report can be found ontheir website www.cquestrate.com.Oxford University Consulting drew up the contract betweenCquestrate and the authors of the report, which reflectedthe open-source nature of the project and ensured that anyintellectual property generated was made available in thepublic domain so as to preclude anyone obtaining patents thatcould be used to hamper the development of the process.If performed on a largeenough scale Cquestrate’s‘carbon negative’ processcould reduce the carbondioxide in the atmosphere topre-industrial levelscontactGurinder PunnProject Manager,Oxford University ConsultingT 01865 280826E gurinder.punn@isis.ox.ac.ukTim Krugerwww.cquestrate.comProfessor Gideon Hendersongideon.henderson@earth.ox.ac.uk16