The global shipping industry alone contributes roughly 3% of global CO2 emissions. (Photo/iStock)
Ocean-inspired tech could speed up carbon capture from ships
New technology from USC and Caltech could significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the global shipping industry.
The ocean has a hidden talent, honed over millennia: the ability to capture and store vast quantities of carbon dioxide, a key driver of climate change. However, the ocean’s natural carbon capture cycles, which take hundreds of thousands of years, cannot keep pace with human-generated carbon emissions. The global shipping industry alone contributes roughly 3% of global CO2 emissions.
Now, a new technology inspired by the ocean itself offers a potential solution. Researchers at USC and Caltech, in collaboration with startup company Calcarea, have developed a device to capture carbon emissions directly from cargo ships and other diesel-powered vessels that support the global shipping industry.