Seabound Carbon Capture and Kites for a Cleaner Ocean

How Seabound is Turning Ship Emissions into Stone

The vast, blue ocean is the lifeblood of global trade, carrying everything from your morning coffee to the latest tech gadgets across continents.

But beneath the surface of this vital resource lies a challenge: the immense carbon footprint of the shipping industry. Thousands of vessels churning out exhaust fumes means that there is a big opportunity to clean up the industry.

It’s a bit like having a million cars on the road, all day, every day, without any catalytic converters.

The good news? A UK-based company called Seabound is making waves with an innovative solution to this global problem.

They’re developing a carbon capture technology that’s as clever as it is crucial, turning emissions into something solid.

Seabound founders Alisha Fredriksson and Roujia Wen launched the company in 2021 and have been developing carbon capture devices for cargo ships.

Their system is loaded onto the ship in a standard container and once the ships dock at port, the carbon capture- pebbles of lime that have absorbed the CO2 – can be shipped off for further treatment at a plant on dry land.

The Smog of the Seas

Before we dive into Seabound’s technology, let’s take a look at the scale of the challenge. Shipping is responsible for roughly 3% of global carbon dioxide emissions.

While that might not sound too bad on its own, it’s more than some entire countries emit, and it’s more than air travel. With global trade set to grow, finding a way to make shipping cleaner is an environmental and an economic imperative. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set ambitious targets, aiming for a 40% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030.

Other solutions, like switching to alternative fuels, are still years away from widespread adoption. It’s like waiting for flying cars to solve traffic jams when we desperately need a better public transport system now. This is where Seabound steps in, offering a bridge to a cleaner future using existing technology.

Seabound’s Secret Weapon: Turning Gas into Rock

So, how exactly does Seabound’s technology work? Imagine a ship’s exhaust. Instead of letting all that carbon dioxide escape, Seabound’s system acts like an efficient net. This net uses a process called “calcium looping.”

Think of it like this: You have a sponge made of tiny, porous pebbles of calcium oxide, often called quicklime. When the ship’s exhaust gases, rich in CO2, are directed into a chamber filled with these pebbles, a chemical reaction occurs. The CO2 molecules are attracted to and latch onto the calcium oxide, transforming it into a new, solid substance: calcium carbonate.

Calcium carbonate is essentially limestone, the stuff of chalkboards and geological formations. So, in essence, Seabound is turning invisible carbon dioxide gas into tiny, limestone pebbles. It’s transforming air pollution into a solid, manageable form, much like how a dehumidifier extracts moisture from the air and turns it into liquid water.

A Compact and Clever Solution

One of the clever aspects of Seabound’s approach is its practicality. Unlike some carbon capture technologies that are voluminous and energy-intensive, requiring dedicated land-based facilities, Seabound’s system is designed to fit directly onto ships. It’s typically installed on the deck, near the ship’s exhaust funnel, like a compact, high-tech add-on. The whole unit is designed like a ship’s container making it easy to load and replace.

This “onboard” capture is crucial. Ships can continue their normal routes, capturing carbon as they go, without needing to make special detours or requiring extensive modifications to port infrastructure.

During pilot projects, Seabound has demonstrated impressive results, capturing around 78% of carbon emissions and over 90% of sulphur dioxide from a ship’s exhaust. The goal is to reach up to 95% efficiency, which would be a game-changer.

What Happens Next? From Ship to Shore and Beyond

Once the limestone pebbles are formed on board, they’re stored safely until the ship reaches port. This is where Seabound’s innovative “decoupled” approach comes into play. They offload the solid pebbles on land and switch out the carbon capture container.

Once ashore, these limestone pebbles can be used as building materials, giving a second purpose to what was once pollution. Or the limestone can be processed to separate the CO2 from the calcium oxide. The calcium oxide can then be recycled and reused to capture more carbon on another voyage, creating a circular system. The pure CO2, once separated, can be used for creating sustainable fuels (like methanol) or pumped underground to keep it out of the atmosphere permanently.

This on-shore processing model allows Seabound to leverage existing land-based infrastructure and achieve economies of scale.

Charting a Course for a Greener Future

Seabound’s technology offers a compelling solution to a global challenge. It provides a tangible way for the shipping industry to meet its decarbonisation goals in the near term, bridging the gap until truly zero-emission fuels become widely available. By turning a by-product into a valuable resource, they’re cleaning up the air and creating new products.

Riding the Wind: Airseas and the Power of Kites

While Seabound is tackling emissions from the ship’s engine, other innovators are looking to harness the oldest power source of all: the wind. Enter Airseas, a French company with a concept that brings a centuries-old tradition into the 21st century: giant, automated kites.

Imagine a massive kite deployed from the front of a cargo ship. This “Seawing” kite is designed to catch the wind at higher altitudes (up to 300 meters, where winds are stronger and more consistent) and pull the ship forward, like a powerful tugboat. This isn’t replacing the ship’s engines, but rather complementing them, creating a hybrid power solution.

By harnessing wind power, the ship’s engines don’t have to work as hard, consuming less fuel and, consequently, emitting less carbon dioxide. Early tests have shown that Airseas’ Seawing can achieve significant fuel savings, reducing emissions by 20% or more. The system is fully automated, deploying and retracting the kite with the touch of a button, making it easy for ship crews to integrate into their operations.

The journey to a carbon-neutral shipping industry is long and complex, but with innovators like Seabound and Airseas leading the way, there are solutions on the horizon.