Captura

Captura is a startup founded in 2021 at the California Institute of Technology, focused on developing Direct Ocean Capture (DOC) technology. The company's proprietary process involves drawing in seawater, separating a small portion of it through electrodialysis to convert dissolved inorganic carbon into CO2, capturing the CO2, and releasing the remaining seawater back into the ocean. This process leverages the high concentration of CO2 in seawater compared to the atmosphere, allowing for more efficient CO2 removal.

Captura's DOC technology does not introduce any chemicals or byproducts into the ocean, maintaining the natural chemistry of the seawater. The captured CO2 can be sequestered underground or utilized as a product. In August 2022, Captura commenced operations of its first pilot system in Newport Beach, capable of capturing one ton of CO2 annually. A larger 100-ton pilot was installed at the Port of Los Angeles in 2023 for further testing and development.

Captura aims to commercialize its technology, with plans for a 1,000-ton pilot plant in Norway in partnership with Equinor by the end of 2024. The long-term goal is to deploy large-scale commercial plants capable of capturing tens of thousands of tons of CO2 annually, potentially utilizing decommissioned offshore oil and gas platforms for sequestration. As of January 2024, Captura had raised USD 33.5 million in funding to support its technology development and piloting efforts.

Key customers and partnerships

In November 2023, Captura announced a partnership with Equinor, a Norwegian energy company, to develop a 1,000-ton-per-year DOC pilot plant at Equinor's Kårstø natural gas processing facility. The captured CO2 from this pilot is planned to be utilized by the Northern Lights CO2 transport and storage infrastructure.

Captura is also collaborating with Deep Sky, a Canadian carbon removal project developer, to build a 100-ton DOC system in Quebec.

Additionally, Captura has secured contracts with Frontier, an initiative launched by companies like Stripe, Alphabet, Meta, Shopify, and McKinsey, to sell carbon removal credits generated through its DOC technology.