| Grant: 7.78 MDKK for 3 years Professor Harry Atwater, Department of Applied Physics and Materials Science, California Institute of Technology Professor Chengxiang Xiang, Department of Applied Physics and Materials Science, California Institute of Technology |
Harry Atwater is a professor in applied physics and materials science specializing in nanophotonics and plasmonics, and Chengxiang Xiang is a professor of applied physics and materials science specializing in electrochemical and photoelectrochemical devices.
Their project focuses on the ocean’s capacity for absorbing CO2 from the atmosphere. It aims to quantify the rate of CO2 drawdown resulting from the removal of CO2 from ocean water via an electrochemical-based direct ocean capture system.
“We want to investigate the development of an offshore, stand-alone direct ocean capture system for efficient and cost-competitive removal of CO2 from ocean water. Specifically, we will explore and validate how the process of atmospheric CO2 drawdown is related to CO2 removal from ocean water” the two researchers explain in their proposal.
By using modelling and building a test unit, the project aims to gain a better understanding of the behavior of CO2 at the air/ocean water interface and in the shallow ocean layer. This information could guide future developments in the field of direct ocean capture.
