Equatic Singapore, a startup backed by Boeing Co., is constructing a $20 million demonstration plant in Tuas, Singapore, with plans to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and produce hydrogen. The project is established in partnership with Singapore's National Water Agency (PUB), the National Research Foundation, and the University of California’s Los Angeles's Institute for Carbon Management.
Relying on seawater and electrolysers, the process is expected to capture over 3.65 million kilograms of CO2 and produce over 100,000 kilograms of hydrogen annually, coming close to the four-million-per-kilogram facility by Climeworks AG (currently the world’s largest carbon removal plant).
With Singapore aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050, the Equatic facility is a crucial component of the nation's strategy as it grapples with limited available space and renewable energy resources. It is anticipated that the initial unit (out of 10 modules) will commence operations by July 2024, capturing one thousand kilograms of CO2 per day, with full capacity achieved within a year.
Apart from getting potential customers onboard, Equatic’s biggest challenge is in overcoming engineering obstacles.
“I think the challenge has changed a lot, but right now it is scaling up the physical size of the unit and maintaining the performance at a larger scale,” Sanders pointed out.
The company has already been operating two pilot plants, one in the Port of Los Angeles and another in Tuas. The upcoming demonstration plant will incorporate a proprietary anode material in its electrolysers - addressing concerns about chlorine gas production, a common by-product of seawater electrolysis.
Looking ahead, Equatic is also actively planning a commercial-scale facility targeting the removal of an ambitious 100 million kilograms of CO2 annually, aligning with global efforts to remove trillions of kilograms of CO2 by mid-century to mitigate climate change. Boeing has already committed to purchasing significant quantities of CO2 removal services and hydrogen, a potential feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel.
The first batch of electrolysers for the commercial plant is expected to begin operating in 2026. While buyers have committed to purchasing a portion of the CO2 that the commercial plant removes, Sanders said Equatic will still need to secure purchasers for the remaining output.
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