Ebb Carbon

Ebb Carbon is a climate technology startup that has developed a proprietary electrochemical system to enhance the ocean's natural ability to absorb and store carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. The company's solution involves accelerating the process of ocean alkalization, which naturally draws down CO2 from the air and converts it into bicarbonate – the ocean's most abundant form of carbon storage capable of sequestering CO2 safely for at least 10,000 years. This process also helps reduce ocean acidity, benefiting marine ecosystems threatened by increasing ocean acidification.

Ebb Carbon's technology uses renewable energy and seawater as inputs to produce an alkaline solution through an electrodialysis process. This alkaline solution is then introduced into the ocean, creating a chemical reaction that removes CO2 from the atmosphere and stores it as bicarbonate in the seawater. The company's systems are modular, fitting inside a storage container, and designed to be co-located with industrial partners like desalination plants, aquaculture facilities, or power plants that process seawater. This allows Ebb Carbon to leverage existing infrastructure for discharging the treated seawater back into the ocean.

Ebb Carbon has conducted successful pilot deployments, including a 100-ton capacity system installed at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) facility in Sequim, Washington, in August 2023. The company is collaborating with leading scientific institutions, including PNNL, NOAA, and the University of Washington, to gather data on the impacts of their technology on CO2 sequestration, ocean deacidification, and local biology.

Key customers and partnerships

Ebb Carbon has secured commitments for the purchase of carbon removal credits from companies like Stripe, which has committed to purchasing USD 1.5 million worth of credits as part of its Climate Program. The company aims to deploy a megaton (1 million tons) of carbon removal systems over the next five years, with a target cost of under USD 100 per ton of carbon capture.

Ebb Carbon is partnering with various industrial facilities that process seawater, such as desalination plants, aquaculture operations, and power plants with seawater cooling systems. These partnerships allow Ebb Carbon to co-locate its systems and leverage existing infrastructure for discharging treated seawater back into the ocean.

The company is also collaborating with leading scientific institutions, including the US Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, the NOAA Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies (CICOES), and the Salish Sea Modeling Center at the University of Washington. These partnerships aim to gather and share data on the impacts of Ebb Carbon's technology on CO2 sequestration, ocean deacidification, and local biology.