The chairman of Carbonjour Carbon Technology recently concluded a visit to Captura’s thousand-tonne ocean carbon capture pilot project in Keahole Point, Hawaii. This meeting marks a significant step forward in bilateral cooperation on carbon neutrality technologies and injects new momentum into the global promotion and application of ocean carbon removal (OCR) solutions.

Left: Chairman of Shanghai Carbonjour Middle: Dean of Engineering Physics at the California Institute of Technology, Harry     Right: CEO of Captura

1. In-Depth Tour of Hawaii Pilot Project

The delegation toured Captura’s thousand-tonne pilot plant, jointly developed with energy giant Equinor. The facility, a critical validation phase before commercial deployment, boasts an annual carbon capture capacity of 1,000 tonnes. It employs a modular design using electrodialysis pH swing technology: by pre-treating 0.5% of seawater to soften it, generating acid and base through renewable energy-powered electrolysis, and separating high-purity CO₂, the system restores seawater pH before releasing it. This process ultimately enhances the ocean’s natural absorption of atmospheric CO₂.

Hawaii Captura pilot image

2. Technical Exchange and Ecological Value Discussion

Discussions centered on the economic viability, ecological safety, and scalability of ocean carbon capture. Captura CEO Steve Oldham highlighted that their technology costs less than $100/tonne of CO₂—one-sixth the cost of traditional Direct Air Capture (DAC)—while eliminating chemical additives. The Hawaii pilot’s captured CO₂ will also support local aquaculture, creating a synergistic “carbon capture + ecological restoration” model.

Chairman and technical personnel of Carbonjour held a discussion meeting with Captura

3. Collaboration Vision and Future Plans

Carbonjour’s chairman praised Captura’s innovation as a “high-efficiency, responsible” solution for global carbon neutrality. The two entities plan to build a 100,000-tonne commercial plant by 2030 and collaborate with ports and energy companies across China, the U.S., and Europe to establish a transoceanic carbon capture network targeting 1 billion tonnes of annual CO₂ processing.

Captura’s technology amplifies the ocean’s natural carbon sequestration capacity, addressing the “high-cost, high-energy” challenges of conventional carbon removal. The Hawaii pilot not only validates scalability but also offers a paradigm of “technology + ecology” for global climate action. This collaboration sets a benchmark for Sino-U.S. enterprise partnerships in carbon neutrality and accelerates the transition from lab-tested to large-scale ocean carbon removal solutions.

About Captura

Captura, a marine carbon capture startup incubated by Caltech, has received a million-dollar XPRIZE grant from Elon Musk and backing from Saudi Aramco. Its electrodialysis pH swing technology is hailed as a “more efficient negative-emissions solution than afforestation,” spearheading the commercialization of ocean carbon removal.

Attached: Near video of the Hawaii pilot