Carbon Sequestration: Might Kelp Help?
Using aquaculture to capture carbon dioxide
Gotta like this idea.
Establish aquafarms of…..kelp.
When the kelp withers and dies (chock full of carbon, of course), it drops to the bottom.
Kelp typically grows close to shore, where it can set roots. It’s not a plant found in the open ocean.
To get around this, a Maine startup called Running Tide is trying to grow kelp at sea by embedding seeds inside of ropes. The ropes are, in turn, tethered to cellulose (i.e., biodegradable) buoys.
“Portland (Maine) based Running Tide is using their aquaculture expertise to execute an innovative project to sequester gigatons of carbon on the ocean floor. They plan to grow floating farms of kelp, which will capture carbon dioxide. Then, they’ll sink the kelp — and the CO2 — to the ocean floor, where it’ll remain for centuries.” (1)
The company says: “There is too much CO2 in the atmosphere and it needs to be removed, quickly. At Running Tide, we are developing the most efficient carbon removal system in the world. Our pilot project is already underway removing carbon from the atmosphere. With the help of photosynthesis, ocean currents and gravity we can use kelp to store carbon in the deep ocean. This natural process has existed on Earth for millions of years, and we are accelerating it.” (2)
Kelp-based aquaculture will not by itself become a panacea for carbon sequestration. But it strikes me as a method of capturing carbon that is, at once, simple and elegant. Here’s hoping that it will be found to be practical.
A cautionary note: naturally growing kelp is being stressed throughout the world. Our own west coast is an example. “Landsat imagery shows that the area covered by kelp forests off the coast of Northern California has dropped by more than 95 percent, with just a few small, isolated patches of bull kelp remaining.” (3) In short – it’s imperative that kelp forests be restored.
Sources:
(1) https://www.mainetechnology.org/mti-impact/success-stories/running-tide/
(2) https://www.runningtide.com/removing
Background:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/23/climate/ocean-blue-economy-business.html
#carbon
#CO2
#carbondioxide
#carbonsequestration
#RunningTide
#aquaculture
#kelp