Latest news with #SeaCure
Business News Wales
3 days ago
- Business
- Business News Wales
£100m Green Bond Programme Launched to Fund Biochar Innovation
ReGenEarth, initially borne out of Stephen Lansdown's former PE vehicle Earth Capital, a business that creates and manages ventures dedicated to sustainable renewable energy and circular economy processes, is launching a £100 million Green Bond Programme in conjunction with circular economy energy specialists RER. The bond programme will fund the deployment of technologies that integrate innovative biochar generation solutions into existing anaerobic digestion (AD) and biomass plants, each of which will include sophisticated feedstock and provenance tracking to ensure maximal pricing in the voluntary carbon credit markets. An Investor Day to formally launch the bond will be held at the Institute of Engineering & Technology in London from 6pm on Tuesday June 10. The event will feature partners BeZero and Onnu, and research partner Brunel University's Chemical Engineering Department. In addition to unveiling the Green Bond, the event will discuss carbon credits, carbon capture and Brunel's SeaCure CO2 capture project. Biochar, a form of organic carbon, is produced by heating organic matter in a low oxygen environment through a process called pyrolysis. By converting organic waste into renewable energy and valuable products such as biochar, ReGenEarth promotes resource efficiency and environmental sustainability, contributing to a greener economy, while reducing waste and sequestering carbon in the UK. The Bonds will be issued by RER Capital PLC, a special purpose financing vehicle (SPV) that was established specifically to finance businesses operating in the circular economy and CleanTech sectors. RER Capital PLC will channel capital into enterprises that prioritise resource efficiency, waste reduction, and sustainable innovation. The programme will be aligned with the ICMA Green Bond Principles. The proceeds of the Bonds will be secured against hard assets, including the existing AD sites and will be lent to a wholly-owned subsidiary of ReGenEarth, on the issuance date of the deal. The three-year Bond will pay a coupon of 12.5% and is due in 2030. Biochar closely resembles charcoal but also has additional, valuable properties. By locking carbon in the soil for centuries, it has proven value for soil regeneration, water retention and carbon sequestration, mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Its porous structure also retains nutrients very well, making fertilisers more effective. It also enhances the water retention of capacity of soil, supporting crop resilience. Biochar also fosters beneficial soil microbes, boosting ecosystem health and crop yields, essential for feeding a growing global population. ReGenEarth is working with a number of pioneers in the biochar space, including Onnu, its trusted partner in the development of biochar solutions from its engineering stable. Together with Onnu, ReGenEarth is pioneering innovative solutions that harness the power of biomass to create cleaner, more sustainable energy. Mickey Rooney, CEO of ReGenEarth, said: 'We're turning waste into climate wealth, pyrolysis has never been this cool. With 12.5% returns, locking carbon away for centuries, offering fertile ground for crop, climate and cash generation. The question you would have to ask yourself is why would you not want to be part of it?'
BBC News
18-04-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Scientists taking carbon out of sea to tackle climate change
Scientists across the globe are constantly looking for ways to tackle climate change by reducing greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) in Earth's now, some researchers on England's south coast think they've found a good way of doing it.A small, UK government-funded project called SeaCURE, has found a way of sucking carbon out of the ocean, and storing it. It's a form of carbon capture, which is a way of removing CO2, a greenhouse gas already in our instead of taking it directly out of the air, the scientists are removing it from the sea is because the ocean absorbs around a quarter of CO2 emitted into the taking it out of the sea, there's more room for more CO2 to be absorbed from the air. How does it work? The seawater is firstly treated in a large tank to make it more acidic. This encourages the carbon that's dissolved in the seawater to turn into a gas and be released into the atmosphere as CO2 is sucked up through a pipe and stored low-carbon seawater then has an alkali added to it to restore its chemical balance, and is finally released back into the there, it can start absorbing more CO2, and the cycle starts the amounts being removed are small - about 100 tonnes a year - but SeaCURE thinks this is only the beginning. What are people saying about it? Dr Paul Halloran leads the SeaCURE project and thinks targeting water could be a really positive thing for the fight against climate change."Seawater has got loads of carbon in it compared to the air, about 150 times more," says Dr Halloran."But it has got different challenges, the energy requirements to generate the products that we require to do this from seawater are huge."Energy Minister Kerry McCarthy said: "Removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere is essential in helping us achieve net zero... Innovative projects like SeaCURE at the University of Exeter play an important role in creating the green technologies needed to make this happen, while supporting skilled jobs and boosting growth." However, there are some concerns about how it will impact marine Hooper, a PhD student at Exeter University studying the impacts of the SeaCure project, told the BBC there are signs the process can affect sea creatures: "Marine organisms rely on carbon to do certain things," he says. "So phytoplankton use carbon to photosynthesize while things like mussels also use carbon to build their shells."However, he said they can work on ways to reduce or eliminate this harm.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Project to suck carbon out of sea begins in UK
A ground-breaking project to suck carbon out of the sea has started operating on England's south coast. The small pilot scheme, known as SeaCURE, is funded by the UK government as part of its search for technologies that fight climate change. There's broad consensus amongst climate scientists that the overwhelming priority is to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the chief cause of global warming. But many scientists also believe that part of the solution will have to involve capturing some of the gases that have already been released. These projects, known as carbon capture, usually focus either on capturing emissions at source or pulling them from the air. What makes SeaCure interesting is that it is testing whether it might be more efficient to pull planet-warming carbon from the sea, since it's present in greater concentrations in water than in the air. To reach the project's entrance you have to go round the back of the Weymouth Sealife Centre and walk past a sign that says "Caution: Moray Eels may Bite". There's a reason this ground-breaking project has been placed here. It's a pipe that snakes under the stony beach and out into the Atlantic, sucking up seawater and bringing it onshore. The project is trying to find whether removing carbon from the water might be a cost effective way of reducing the amount of the climate warming gas CO2 in the atmosphere. SeaCURE processes the seawater to remove the carbon before pumping it back out to sea where it absorbs more CO2. We're the first broadcast journalists to visit and Professor Tom Bell from Plymouth Marine Laboratory is tasked with showing us around. He explains that the process begins by treating some of the seawater to make it more acidic. This encourages the carbon that's dissolved in the seawater to turn into a gas and be released into the atmosphere as CO2. "This is the seawater stripper" Prof Bell says with a smile as we turn a corner. The "stripper" is a large stainless steel tank which maximises the amount of contact between the acidic seawater and the air. "When you open a fizzy drink it froths, that's the CO2 coming out." Prof Bell says. "What we're doing by spreading the seawater on a large surface area. It's a bit like pouring a drink on the floor and allowing the CO2 to come out of the seawater really quickly." The CO2 that emerges into the air is sucked away and then concentrated using charred coconut husks ready to be stored. The low-carbon seawater then has alkali added to it – to neutralise the acid that was added – and is then pumped back out into a stream that flows into the sea. Once back in the sea it immediately start to absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere contributing in a very small way to reducing greenhouse gases. There are already much more developed carbon capture technologies which take carbon directly out of the air – but Dr Paul Halloran who leads the SeaCURE project tells me that using water instead has it's advantages. "Seawater has got loads of carbon in it compared to the air, about 150 times more," says Dr Halloran. "But it's got different challenges, the energy requirements to generate the products that we require to do this from seawater are huge." At present the amount of CO2 this pilot project is removing is tiny – at most 100 metric tonnes per year – that's about the carbon footprint of about 100 transatlantic flights. But given the size the world's oceans those behind SeaCURE think it has potential. In it's submission to the UK government SeaCURE said the technology had the potential to be massively scaled up to remove 14 bn tonnes of CO2 a year if 1% of the world's seawater on the ocean's surface was processed. For that to be plausible the entire process for stripping the carbon – would have to be powered by renewable energy. Possibly by solar panels in a floating installation at sea. "Carbon removal is necessary. If you want to reach net zero emissions and net zero emissions is needed to halt further warming," says Dr Oliver Geden who's part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and an expert in carbon capture. "Capturing directly from seawater is one of the options. Directly capturing it from the air is another one. There are basically 15 to 20 options, and in the end the question of what to use, of course, will depend on the cost." The Seacure project has £3m of funding from the government and is one of 15 pilot projects being backed in the UK as part of efforts to develop technologies that capture and store greenhouse gases. "Removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere is essential in helping us achieve net zero," says energy minister Kerry McCarthy. "Innovative projects like SeaCURE at the University of Exeter play an important role in creating the green technologies needed to make this happen, while supporting skilled jobs and boosting growth." There's also the question of what a large quantity of low-carbon water would do to the sea and the things that live in it. In Weymouth it dribbles out of a pipe in such small quantities its unlikely to have any impact. Guy Hooper is a Phd student at Exeter University and is researching the possible impacts of the project. He's been exposing marine creatures to low-carbon water under laboratory conditions. "Marine organisms rely on carbon to do certain things," he says. "So phytoplankton use carbon to photosynthesize while things like mussels also use carbon to build their shells." Hooper says early indications are that massively increasing the amount of low-carbon water could have some impact on the environment. "It might be damaging but there might be ways to mitigate that – for example through pre-diluting the low-carbon water. It's important this is included in the discussion early on." What is carbon capture and can it fight climate change? Nearly £22bn pledged for carbon capture projects Can an enormous seaweed farm help curb climate change?
BBC News
18-04-2025
- Science
- BBC News
Could taking carbon out of the sea cool down the planet?
A ground-breaking project to suck carbon out of the sea has started operating on England's south small pilot scheme, known as SeaCURE, is funded by the UK government as part of its search for technologies that fight climate broad consensus amongst climate scientists that the overwhelming priority is to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the chief cause of global many scientists also believe that part of the solution will have to involve capturing some of the gases that have already been released. These projects, known as carbon capture, usually focus either on capturing emissions at source or pulling them from the makes SeaCure interesting is that it is testing whether it might be more efficient to pull planet-warming carbon from the sea, since it's present in greater concentrations in water than in the air. To reach the project's entrance you have to go round the back of the Weymouth Sealife Centre and walk past a sign that says "Caution: Moray Eels may Bite".There's a reason this ground-breaking project has been placed a pipe that snakes under the stony beach and out into the Atlantic, sucking up seawater and bringing it project is trying to find whether removing carbon from the water might be a cost effective way of reducing the amount of the climate warming gas CO2 in the processes the seawater to remove the carbon before pumping it back out to sea where it absorbs more CO2. We're the first broadcast journalists to visit and Professor Tom Bell from Plymouth Marine Laboratory is tasked with showing us explains that the process begins by treating some of the seawater to make it more acidic. This encourages the carbon that's dissolved in the seawater to turn into a gas and be released into the atmosphere as CO2."This is the seawater stripper" Prof Bell says with a smile as we turn a "stripper" is a large stainless steel tank which maximises the amount of contact between the acidic seawater and the air."When you open a fizzy drink it froths, that's the CO2 coming out." Prof Bell says. "What we're doing by spreading the seawater on a large surface area. It's a bit like pouring a drink on the floor and allowing the CO2 to come out of the seawater really quickly."The CO2 that emerges into the air is sucked away and then concentrated using charred coconut husks ready to be low-carbon seawater then has alkali added to it – to neutralise the acid that was added – and is then pumped back out into a stream that flows into the back in the sea it immediately start to absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere contributing in a very small way to reducing greenhouse gases. There are already much more developed carbon capture technologies which take carbon directly out of the air – but Dr Paul Halloran who leads the SeaCURE project tells me that using water instead has it's advantages."Seawater has got loads of carbon in it compared to the air, about 150 times more," says Dr Halloran."But it's got different challenges, the energy requirements to generate the products that we require to do this from seawater are huge."At present the amount of CO2 this pilot project is removing is tiny – at most 100 metric tonnes per year – that's about the carbon footprint of about 100 transatlantic flights. But given the size the world's oceans those behind SeaCURE think it has it's submission to the UK government SeaCURE said the technology had the potential to be massively scaled up to remove 14 bn tonnes of CO2 a year if 1% of the world's seawater on the ocean's surface was that to be plausible the entire process for stripping the carbon – would have to be powered by renewable energy. Possibly by solar panels in a floating installation at sea."Carbon removal is necessary. If you want to reach net zero emissions and net zero emissions is needed to halt further warming," says Dr Oliver Geden who's part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and an expert in carbon capture."Capturing directly from seawater is one of the options. Directly capturing it from the air is another one. There are basically 15 to 20 options, and in the end the question of what to use, of course, will depend on the cost." The Seacure project has £3m of funding from the government and is one of 15 pilot projects being backed in the UK as part of efforts to develop technologies that capture and store greenhouse gases."Removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere is essential in helping us achieve net zero," says energy minister Kerry McCarthy. "Innovative projects like SeaCURE at the University of Exeter play an important role in creating the green technologies needed to make this happen, while supporting skilled jobs and boosting growth." 'Some impact on environment' There's also the question of what a large quantity of low-carbon water would do to the sea and the things that live in it. In Weymouth it dribbles out of a pipe in such small quantities its unlikely to have any Hooper is a Phd student at Exeter University and is researching the possible impacts of the project. He's been exposing marine creatures to low-carbon water under laboratory conditions."Marine organisms rely on carbon to do certain things," he says. "So phytoplankton use carbon to photosynthesize while things like mussels also use carbon to build their shells."Hooper says early indications are that massively increasing the amount of low-carbon water could have some impact on the environment."It might be damaging but there might be ways to mitigate that – for example through pre-diluting the low-carbon water. It's important this is included in the discussion early on."
