Ecospray: liquefy CO2 captured from the sea to heal the climate

Ecospray, an Italian company specializing in integrated solutions for decarbonization, will take part as a technical supplier in a groundbreaking pilot project to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from seawater.

The company will provide CO₂ liquefaction technologies to Captura, a U.S.-based company founded at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and focused on carbon removal via the oceans. Captura has partnered with Equinor to build a 1,000-ton/year CO₂ capture pilot system at Equinor’s processing facility in Kårstø, on the west coast of Norway.

Ecospray is scheduled to deliver the pilot’s CO₂ liquefaction system in the third quarter of 2024.

CO₂ capture from the sea, high purity liquefaction and storage

The pilot will use Captura's Direct Ocean Capture (DOC) technology to capture CO₂ from seawater.

Once captured, after the water removal, the CO₂ will be liquefied and purified using Ecospray’s system, before being used for the commissioning of the Northern Lights facilities – the world’s first open-source CO₂ transport and storage infrastructure.

The Ecospray CO₂ liquefaction is based on the water removal, cooling and subsequent distillation of the CO₂ optimizing energy consumptions and concentration to obtain the required high-level purity.

The sea to heal the climate

The oceans absorb about 30 percent of global CO₂ emissions; thus, they perform a valuable "buffering" action that limits global warming. At the same time, the steady increase in CO₂ produced by anthropogenic activities and the resulting increased uptake by the oceans are acidifying waters and interfering with ecosystems.

It is therefore essential to work on technologies that remove CO₂ from the ocean and atmosphere. Captura’s DOC technology works in this direction.

"We are strongly committed to innovative and concretely revolutionary challenges," said Giorgio Copelli, Director of Sales & Marketing at Ecospray. "The Captura project has all the characteristics of this. Ecospray is proud to be part of it as a technology’s provider. The capture of CO₂ from seawater is an advancing area but one with great potential that can concretely support decarbonization. Our liquefaction systems are flexible, and we operate in different sectors, always offering cutting-edge technologies. Being chosen for such a significant project is a great certificate of esteem from the market."