The world’s largest carbon dioxide removal and hydrogen production facility has been built in Singapore

Researchers at the University of California’s Institute of Carbon Management, along with technology start-up Equatic, are likely to revolutionize the fight against climate change by building the world’s largest system, an oceanic carbon dioxide removal and hydrogen production plant. This is a $20 million venture. has great potential to realize the hopes placed in it.

Carbon dioxide removal and hydrogen production plant – the only such system in the world

Singapore is preparing to build a revolutionary ocean facility that will not only remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but also produce negative-emission hydrogen. The future of combating climate change is taking shape, thanks to a collaboration between the University of California’s Institute of Carbon Management(ICM UCLA) and Equatic. The value of this world’s largest oceanic investment is $20 million. It is expected that the system will be able to remove 3,650 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually, and that it will produce 105 tons of hydrogen during this time. This endeavor sets new standards in the field of clean technology and offers hope for reducing human impact on the environment.

Plans and preparations for construction of a system for carbon dioxide removal and hydrogen production – Equatic-1 plant

After successful pilot projects in Los Angeles and Singapore, UCLA and Equatic are proceeding to the next stage – the construction of a full-scale demonstration power plant, dubbed Equatic-1. Backed by Singapore’s national water utility (PUB), the National Research Foundation (NRF) and UCLA’s Institute of Carbon Management (ICM), they want to create a plant that will significantly reduce carbon emissions.

The existing plant in Singapore has so far removed 100 kg of carbon dioxide per day. Which is a significant advance over past achievements. The new Equatic-1 power plant will be built in two phases. The first phase of work began in March, and by the end of 2025. Nine additional modules are planned to be opened. Equatic-1 will be able to remove 10 metric tons of carbon dioxide per day from seawater and the atmosphere and store this harmful greenhouse gas.

Electricity, using electrolysis, is to flow through seawater brought in from neighboring desalination plants. This process will initiate a series of chemical reactions that will decompose water into hydrogen and oxygen components, while safely storing for at least 10,000. years of both dissolved and atmospheric carbon dioxide in the form of solid calcium and magnesium-based materials.

The system will also use selective anodes, a new invention developed with the support of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for the Environment. The U.S. Department of Energy (ARPA-E) is also working with the Energy Department. They will produce oxygen by electrolysis of seawater, while eliminating the by-product chlorine. This opens the way for a new way to remove carbon dioxide on a massive scale and with the co-production of hydrogen, a clean fuel needed for decarbonization in various sectors of the economy.

Innovative technology for the world

Equatic-1 not only has an impact on Singapore’s environment, but also represents a potential global solution. The system, with its ability to capture and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and produce hydrogen with negative_CO2 emissions, is becoming a pioneering model that can be adapted and implemented in different regions of the world. Proper scaling of this technology has the potential to significantly reduce global greenhouse gas emissions and promote sustainable development around the world.

Design appreciated around the world

The first, pilot-scale installations of Equatic were unveiled at ports in Los Angeles and Singapore in April 2023, less than two years after lab-scale prototypes were created at the University of California. The technology was named one of the best inventions of last year by TIME magazine and made it to Popular Science magazine’s list of top inventions: 50 Greatest Innovations of 2023. The project also won the 2021 Liveability Challenge, a global competition supported by the non-profit Temasek Foundation.

The construction in Singapore of the world’s largest_CO2 removal and hydrogen production facility represents a major step forward in the fight against climate change. This partnership between scientists and the public and private sectors is setting new standards in clean technology and demonstrating that innovation can make a significant contribution to protecting our planet.