RAZOR: Turbo-charging the natural carbon cycle

For millennia, the ocean's natural ability to absorb carbon has guaranteed life on earth – creating ideal conditions for the tiny marine organisms at the base of the food chain to thrive.

But the oceans are reaching their limit. The more carbon we emit, the more acidic the ocean becomes, and this has triggered a ripple effect with serious, far-reaching consequences.

The oceans are now 30 percent more acidic than before the Industrial Revolution and most agree the hope of reaching global emission reduction targets are fading. 

Enter Stefano Capello and his company Limenet, who have developed an innovative approach to tackle both carbon emissions and ocean acidification simultaneously. Working from Sicily's industrial coastline – nicknamed the "Triangle of Death" due to heavy petrochemical pollution – they're pioneering a technology that accelerates nature's own carbon capture process.

Their breakthrough centers on limestone, one of Earth's most abundant materials. In nature, geological carbon cycling slowly captures CO2 over millions of years as carbonic acid breaks down rocks, releasing bicarbonate and calcium ions that eventually reach the ocean and lock carbon away for millennia.

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Limenet has found a way to turbocharge this process from thousands of years to just four minutes.

Currently, Limenet's temporary plant at Sicily's Port of Augusta captures 800 tons of CO2 annually – admittedly "a drop in the ocean" compared to the 20 billion tons we need to capture yearly to reverse climate change.

But, the potential is enormous: Limestone comprises 7 percent of Earth's crust, and if limestone production doubled globally, Limenet technology could theoretically remove over 1 billion tons of CO2 annually.

With their first modular reactor planned for early 2026, Limenet represents hope that we can work with nature, rather than against it, to heal both our atmosphere and oceans.