Carbon Lock Solutions

Bringing a bit of colour to... Carbon Removal Day Oct 3rd 2024 CO2 drawdown from the CLock Project... I'd like to say this is real-time CDR, but if it was that quick this gig would be easy :)) A time-lapse of the pH of our sorbent from the CLock process. As atmospheric CO2 dissolves in the sorbent, the carbonic acid formed dissociates to drop the pH until carbonate speciation reaches equilibrium. The sorbent is returned to an entirely natural state, storing carbon as solvated ions! If you're curious, then check the thesis and opportunity to build bigger... https://lnkd.in/e7xrY79t

After some digging and creative file conversion... > 23 million years of Ocean pH, and projections look scary! > Historical borate proxies [1] and modern measurements [2,3] > Oceans absorb 30% of our waste CO2 emissions > Increasing emissions force carbonic acid dissociation (Le Chatelier kids!) CO2 + H2O > HCO3- + H+ > CO3(-2) + H+ > Increasing [H+] concentration = increased pH = -log[H+] > Ocean acidity is now 10^(8.17-8.05) >1.3 X pre-industrial levels > Increasing acidity reduces saturation levels of dissolved minerals > The mineral Aragonite, is critical to corals and shell based marine life > At today's pH, Aragonite is close to the safe saturation limit Ω = 2.75 > Below the limit, shells dissolve, crustaceans are lost, food chains collapse > Crossing the limit will be 7th of 9 Planetary boundaries [4] to be breached > At 70% of the Earth's surface, a healthy planet depends on a healthy ocean > Reducing CO2 emissions is critical to reducing ocean acidification > But enhanced alkalinity allows oceans to draw and store CO2 as Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC) > Restoring ocean fertility adds to CO2 capture via photosynthetic biota Just saying! ... but testing tech solutions too [1] Pearson, P., Palmer, M. Atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations over the past 60 million years. Nature 406, 695–699 (2000). https://lnkd.in/ecgrpzqv] [2] Jiang, LQ., Carter, B.R., Feely, R.A. et al. Surface ocean pH and buffer capacity: past, present and future. Sci Rep 9, 18624 (2019). https://lnkd.in/eytkGPRp https://lnkd.in/eZqPPCRx [3] Product Title. E.U. Global ocean acidification - mean sea water pH trend map from Multi-Observations Reprocessing. DOI: https://lnkd.in/epzCw26p https://lnkd.in/eVyC6pPR [4] https://lnkd.in/eCtmp79

Carbon Dioxide Removal is a must by the math! Compound annual reduction (CAR) of CO2 emissions is a power law, which of course, never goes to net zero! Unless you're happy with infinity. The IPCC target of 10 GtCO2 CDR by 2050, seriously pulls the decarbonisation rate down to a realistic 5% CAR in CO2 emissions from more than 10% yoy reduectiona, if <1 GtCO2 was the target. Listen up teachers... use CAR in CO2 emissions as a real and impactful example of "compound interest and depreciation"! #STEM #CDR #NaturePositive #ClimateSolutions

From the outreach archive... Original samples of C60 and C70 fullerenes from the lab of Nobel Prize chemist, Sir Harry Kroto. A hexane extraction of the buckyballs from a graphite arc generated soot! A carbon lock of sorts, but not as durable as the carbon locked in oceans. 38000 Gigatonnes of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC), >10X the atmosphere and at 130X concentration. But as oceans warm and acidify, their capacity to hold DIC, drawdown CO2, and ultimately support the marine life that turns DIC to rock (carbonate mineralisation), is lost. CLock unlocks ocean chemistry to turn this around, with flexibility for more... > DIC to carbon rock > Co-sorbent for CO2 drawdown > Enhanced alkalinity > Ocean fertilisation > Cooling co-products > Green fuel

Another reminder of the task ahead from Carbon Brief 1/3 more emissions reduction than the 5.7% reduction experienced in lockdown all the way to 2030 to meet climate targets! Imagine 5 years or more of lockdown restrictions! Lockdown measures were variable across 2020 and different regions, but analysis shows the greatest correlation between levels of lockdown and emissions reduction was found for a confinement index (CI) around 2 (or OxCGRT global mean stringency index ~ 46 for 2020 [1, 2]). The index corresponds to policies that constrained activity in whole cities/regions or affected around 50% of society [3]. At least some level of school closures, work from home measures, restricted transport and reduced industrial output. Gives some perspective on the level that decarbonisation, behavioural change and other paths must match over the next decade to limit warming. James Lovelock put it starkly... "I have a feeling that climate change may be an issue as severe as a war. It may be necessary to put democracy on hold for a while." #anthropocenewoes #naturepositive #climatesolutions #climatewise #behaviourchange [1] https://lnkd.in/e_uyXscn [2] https://lnkd.in/eybbHVVe [3] https://lnkd.in/eYKykdxE

📚 Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal 101 In this 101 series, we’re reviewing various marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) approaches. The need for solutions to the climate crisis has never been more urgent. Not only must we urgently reduce emissions, but we also need to remove existing carbon dioxide pollution.    Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) refers to a set of technologies and natural processes that actively remove carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere and store it in various forms, such as in soil, oceans, or geological formations. CDR is considered a crucial strategy in the fight against climate change because it helps reduce the concentration of CO₂, a major greenhouse gas, which contributes to global warming.    The cultivation of macroalgae (kelp and other seaweed species) holds promise as a climate solution because of its ability to absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. This carbon can be sequestered for long periods if it is sunk to the deep ocean or harvested for use in long-lived products like bioplastics. #mCDR #ClimateSolutions #ClimateChange Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gxEEb3Pf 

Moving into 2025 with a mesmerising minute of a Mexican wave murmuration over Brighton Pier, against the sublime sunset and seascape of a 2024 summer's evening! #HappyNewYear #ClimateAction20Thrive

🌡️ #ShowYourStripes sparked vital climate conversations. With 2024 likely to be the hottest year on record, let’s keep the momentum going to push for continued progress on the #GlobalGoals in 2025.

We are already experiencing the effects of global warming that scientists predicted, from the loss of sea ice to more intense heat waves. But the idea that Earth’s ground temperature is influenced by heat-absorbing gases in the atmosphere was first calculated by a Nobel Prize laureate. Svante Arrhenius was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1903 for proposing that salt splits into positive and negative ions that can conduct electricity when dissolved in water. However he also made a lasting impact on climate science. More than 100 years ago, he was the first to investigate the effect that doubling atmospheric carbon dioxide would have on global climate, which remains a focus for scientists today. Learn more about Svante Arrhenius https://lnkd.in/eu3VbeXD

With 2024 warming, the first year to breach the 1.5 oC limit, little wonder we are now only "dreaming of a white Christmas" But for a bit of cheer for the end of year, a fun, festive feast for the eyes, with a marvelous mind muddle of swivelling seasonal snowflakes! White or pink? Your choice, or maybe not? #HappyHolidays