Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal

Carbon dioxide removal, alongside emissions reductions, is necessary to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. PNNL is a testbed for the latest research and technologies in marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR)—exploring safe, sustainable ways to leverage the ocean’s strength as a natural carbon sink alongside our partners in industry, academia, and the local community.

mCDR @ PNNL

(Design by Stephanie King | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a nationally recognized testbed for marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) technologies and supporting research. No single agency or organization alone has the capacity to tackle the tough, multi-disciplinary actions needed to advance mCDR solutions. That’s why PNNL is taking a partnership-based approach, leveraging the capabilities and resources from multiple agencies, industry, and universities across fundamental and applied research to assess the global potential for mCDR solutions.

The PNNL-Sequim campus is uniquely well-suited to this work and supports joint projects that leverage its laboratory, mesocosm, and field-testing capabilities. As a Federally Funded Research and Development Organization, joint projects at PNNL support independent testing and research activities to assess emerging technologies. With many open questions about mCDR across multiple disciplines, PNNL’s federal research capabilities play a key role in advancing technology responsibly, while protecting the intellectual property of industry partners. 

Learn about the Electrochemical Acid Sequestration to Ease Ocean Acidification project—led by the Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory—and its potential to remove 100 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere per year (equivalent to about 112,000 pounds of burned coal). (Video by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory)

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