An Engineering Solution for Carbon Sequestration

INDUSTRY:
Carbon Sequestration

TYPE OF WORK:
System Development, Process Engineering, Automation

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….in the middle of middle of July, Nova Scotia Environment said we needed technical drawings of the site. Abby had a whirlwind 3 weeks and produced these beautiful drawings of the entire site.

Robert Izett
Ocean Technology Developer

About the Client

Planetary Technologies

Planetary Technologies is a company dedicated to combating climate change through ocean-based carbon dioxide removal. Their primary focus is on Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE), a process that mimics and accelerates the natural carbon cycle. Planetary Technologies aims to safely add alkalinity to seawater, removing carbon dioxide and reducing ocean acidity. 

The company collaborates with scientific institutions, regulators, and local communities to develop sustainable carbon removal methods, emphasizing safety, transparency, and environmental responsibility in their operations. As a leading carbon capture company in Canada, they provide innovative carbon sequestration engineering solutions for carbon capture.

Understanding the Problem

The Challenge

The world is getting warmer, and ocean acidity is rising. Scientists at Planetary Technologies proved their theory that sea water can be activated as a carbon sink, thus potentially reversing ocean acidification while concurrently reducing atmospheric greenhouse gases (GHG). It was time to take their academic research into the real world.

With a host of published peer-reviewed research in hand, the Planetary team was ready to field test their technology. After choosing the ideal location of Tufts Cove in the Halifax Harbour on Canada’s East Coast, as one of the preliminary testing sites for their Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) process, Planetary needed a way of accurately dispensing the alkaline solution.

Genius in its simplicity, the outflow from the Tufts Cove’s power station would be the vehicle to deliver the ‘antacid’. However, precise dispensing, measuring and monitoring would be somewhat more complicated.

The ask was to design and develop a “Containerized Alkalinity Slurry Preparation and Dosing System”. Enginuity was commissioned to develop and build a real-world prototype that would be used to test the efficacy of their carbon capture prototype development.

Solving the Challenge

The Solution

In order to dispense the solution in a quantifiable and measurable amount, the system would require 4 key features:

Automated pump control and feedback

Interface with multiple data feeds to regulate the optimal dosing rate

Be modular and adaptable to different ocean outfall sites

all components would have to fit in a 40ft ISO container

The project comprised two phases. Phase One was the design and build of the Containerized Dosing Array, including a control centre, deployable mixing tank, transfer pump, separate containerized dosing tank, with integrated agitation), dosing pump and a spill containment component.

In the designing and building of Phase Two, additional controls including remote sensors were added to the system. Electrical components were built into the design providing comms/internet, additional Input/Output (I/O) and battery backup. And finally, a Human/Machine Interface (HMI) dashboard, an alerting system and power interruption (for safety), would complete the design.

Summarizing the Outcome

The Conclusion

The comprehensive design and build of the tool called SAM (Site Automation and Monitoring) resulted in a system that could be recreated or even transported and installed in other test locations globally, thus expanding the reach and efficacy of Planetary’s technology and one day, scaling to commercial opportunities.

Yet most importantly, this project allowed Planetary Technologies to prove the science behind OAE, propelling the burgeoning company to the forefront of the carbon capture & sequestration landscape. Their system is a highly scalable, cost-effective negative emissions technology that permanently captures carbon from the air and safely stores it within ocean chemistry.

This approach mitigates the most severe effects of climate change through carbon removal while delivering value-added carbon-negative or carbon-neutral products to industries.

The leadership displayed by Planetary in developing the process, and the collaborative effort made with Enginuity, displays a partnership that delivers a climate solution that not only permanently removes carbon dioxide from our atmosphere, but also inspires others in their own environmental pursuits.

Read the Impact

Resourcefulness in Carbon Capture Technology: Research to Reality

Key Takeaways

Innovative Engineering

Developed the SAM system, showcasing advanced engineering solutions for carbon capture.

Efficient Prototype Development

Created a real-world prototype for carbon capture prototype development and environmental prototypes.

Scalable Environmental Impact

Enabled global expansion with scalable, cost-effective carbon capture and storage design solutions.

Applying Our Expertise to Broader Environmental and Carbon Capture Solutions

The successful collaboration with Planetary Technologies showcases our proficiency in delivering advanced engineering solutions for carbon capture and carbon sequestration engineering solutions. This experience underlines our capability to provide innovative, cost-effective environmental product development that can be applied across various sectors and challenges.

Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE): Our expertise in developing and integrating the SAM system demonstrates our ability to deliver efficient and safe carbon capture engineering support. We ensure minimal environmental impact and operational risk while meeting regulatory requirements. Our OAE capabilities include carbon capture and storage design and environmental prototypes.

Prototype Development for Environmental Solutions: Leveraging our experience in environmental technology, we provide comprehensive support for the prototype development for environmental solutions. Our solutions are designed to withstand harsh environments and ensure the safety and reliability of operations. This includes engineering for carbon capture and engineering carbon products.

Environmental Product Development: We offer services to safely develop and implement environmental products, ensuring they meet regulatory requirements and client specifications. Our expertise includes carbon capture product development, minimizing public and environmental risks.

Our experience in carbon capture product development spans multiple phases and tasks. We offer a multi-disciplinary team of experienced engineers who understand the complexities of environmental engineering and are committed to delivering certainty across all projects.

With our expertise, we help clients achieve significant improvements in efficiency, safety, and environmental protection, driving sustainable growth and success in their environmental and engineering projects.