US start-up that produces green hydrogen from seawater while capturing CO2 secures $11.6m in Series A funding

A Los Angeles-based start-up that has developed unique scaleable technology that can produce green hydrogen directly from seawater while capturing and storing CO2 has secured $11.6m in Series A funding.

 

Equatic, which secured the financing from a range of global investors, will use the money to “accelerate the engineering scale-up and commercialization of [its] patented seawater-electrolysis technology”.

 

The two-year-old company, which has already deployed its technology at two pilot plants in Los Angeles and Singapore, is now working on a larger demonstration plant in Singapore and a commercial-scale project in Canada.

 

“This investment marks a pivotal moment for Equatic, enabling us to significantly scale our production capabilities and accelerate our mission to deliver durable carbon removal at scale,” said founder and chief technology officer Gaurav N Sant.

 

Lord John Browne, the former CEO of BP, who is chairman of Equatic’s advisory board, added: “Truly innovative carbon management technologies are needed to mitigate climate change before the consequences become irreversible.

 

“By removing carbon dioxide and simultaneously generating green hydrogen, Equatic’s solution provides unique advantages in terms of cost and scalability.”

How does Equatic’s technology work?

In simple terms, a pump brings seawater into an electrolyser and near the cathode (the negatively charged electrode), the water becomes more alkaline and tiny pieces of minerals (calcium carbonate and magnesium hydroxide) start to form.

 

This alkaline liquid travels to another tank where it mixes with air. Carbon dioxide in the air gets dissolved in the water, where some gets fixed as calcum carbonate, and the rest become carbonate and bicarbonate ion that enter the general “soup” of seawater and remain there (ie, they do not become CO2)

At the same time, acidic water is produced at the anode (the positively charged electrode), which is then neutralized by reacting it with crushed alkaline rock.

 

The pH-neutral water, including the dissolved carbonate ions, then goes back into the ocean, and the solid minerals are removed.

 

Because electrolysis of seawater would normally produce poisonous chlorine gas (from sodium chloride, ie, sea salt), the anode is designed with special coatings/catalysts to promote oxygen formation over chlorine formation.

 

The system also includes technology that measures the input and output and their chemical compositions to ensure that the equipment is working as intended.

 

Equatic’s technology has three potential revenue streams — from the production of green hydrogen and oxygen, and from carbon removal credits — thus creating the opportunity for users to make money from the equipment.

 

The $11.6m of financing was led by the Singapore-based Temasek Trust, and Kibo Invest, a Singapore-based private investor, and there was further participation from a “consortium of global investors”.

 

Source: HydrogenInsight