When Oceans Need a Hero…
For eons, our oceans have been the ultimate carbon sponge, fueling marine life and balancing Earth’s climate. But as we pump more CO₂ into the air, the seas become 30% more acidic than pre-Industrial times. Cue the ripple effects: coral bleaching, disrupted food chains, & marine species on the brink. 🌊😟
Limestone to the Rescue!
Meet Stefano Capello and his team at Limenet, operating out of Sicily’s industrial "Triangle of Death." They’re fast-forwarding nature’s slo-mo carbon cycle from millennia to a lightning-fast four minutes using good old rock: limestone!
- In nature: carbonic acid breaks down rocks over millions of years, releasing ions that lock away CO₂ in the ocean.
- At Limenet: a modular reactor supercharges this reaction—30x faster than volcanoes do it! 🏎️💨
Right now, Limenet’s pilot plant at the Port of Augusta snags 800 tons of CO₂ per year—a tiny drop compared to the 20 billion tons we need. But scale this up? Since limestone makes up 7% of Earth’s crust, doubling production could remove over 1 billion tons of CO₂ annually. 🚀
And the best part? Their first commercial reactor is set to launch in early 2026. That means working with nature—rather than against it—to heal our atmosphere and oceans. Talk about a boss move for our blue planet! 🌍🦸♂️
Stay tuned as we cheer on this rock-solid climate solution!
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
