Startup Commercializes Ocean Fertilization for Carbon Credits

 

Ocean fertilization has the potential to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at low cost and vast scale, simply by feeding phytoplankton with trace minerals to induce blooms. But critics believe that the technique has the potential to create serious risks to marine ecosystems, like red tide blooms or unpredictable changes in plankton composition - and might not generate a net greenhouse gas reduction. A high-profile startup from Israel's tech scene, New York-based Gigablue, thinks it has solved these problems by optimizing distribution and coating a tailored mixture of nutrients onto tiny particles.

Gigablue’s carbon removal system consists of a proprietary substrate particle, coated with a nutrient shell. Phytoplankton feed and thrive on the nutrients until they have multiplied to a large enough mass, and then the substrate sinks to depths in excess of 1,000 meters (the threshold for long-term sequestration). This way, the fertilizer stimulates plankton growth at the surface, but also ensures that the microscopic creatures end up at the bottom where their stored carbon will remain - a natural process, accelerated through science.  

To maximize impact, the company uses AI to sift through massive oceanographic data sets, identifying the best possible locations and nutrient combinations. The selected nutrients match existing substances in the water column, augmenting factors that are already present. 

Creating a creditable carbon removal also requires measurement and verification, and Gigablue has a scientific methodology for assessing how much carbon it sinks to the bottom. The technology has been reviewed by New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) to make sure it delivers reliable, measurable carbon sequestration.

Early customers include SkiesFifty, a firm serving the decarbonization needs of the aviation industry. This week, the company announced the purchase of 200,000 carbon credits from Gigablue, deliverable over four years.

"The agreement validates the scalability and effectiveness of our technology," said Ori Shaashua, Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer of Gigablue. "We are harnessing the basic building blocks of life on Earth – water and sunlight – to create a financially sustainable carbon removal solution. This will be the largest marine carbon dioxide removal offtake agreement to date and proves our technology's viability in the market."