Frontier buys $31M worth of antacids for the ocean | TechCrunch

"Frontier, the carbon removal clearinghouse founded by Google, Strip, Shopify, and others, announced today that it is buying 115,208 metric tons of carbon removal credits from geoengineering startup Planetary in a deal worth $31.2 million. Where most Frontier deals to date have bought carbon from startups specializing in direct air capture, enhanced weathering, or bioenergy with carbon capture, the organization's agreement with Planetary is its first to do so by enhancing ocean alkalinity."

"That has slowed the pace of global warming, but it also endangers a host of marine organisms, including coral and shellfish, which depend on alkaline waters to help build and maintain their calcareous shells and skeletons. The world's oceans are naturally a little bit alkaline. Historically, they had a pH of 8.2, but since the industrial revolution began, it has fallen to 8.1. That might not sound like much, but pH's logarithmic scale means the oceans are now 30% more acidic than in the early 1800s."

"Planetary currently uses magnesium hydroxide to boost alkalinity, the same substance used in over-the-counter antacids. The company adds it at wastewater treatment facilities and power plants, sites that are already discharging water into the ocean. That helps minimize disruption to the coasts, and it helps Planetary keep costs down. The startup currently has two projects, one in Nova Scotia and the other in Virginia."

Frontier purchased 115,208 metric tons of carbon removal credits from Planetary for $31.2 million, marking the clearinghouse's first purchase of ocean alkalinity enhancement. The deal prices carbon at about $270 per metric ton, while Planetary aims to reduce costs below $100 per ton. Ocean alkalinity enhancement could potentially remove over 1 billion metric tons of CO2 annually. Oceans have absorbed atmospheric CO2 for decades, reducing warming but increasing acidity and harming calcifying marine life. Planetary adds magnesium hydroxide at wastewater treatment facilities and power plants to boost alkalinity, minimizing coastal disruption and lowering operational costs. Two projects operate in Nova Scotia and Virginia.

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