Current Grants

Acacia Impact Innovation (acacia-ii.com) and HighTechXL (www.hightechxl.com) are, respectively, a Dutch company and a Dutch deep-tech accelerator program working jointly on a technological innovation to achieve large-scale removal of atmospheric methane. They are collaborating with Prof. Matthew Johnson of the University of Copenhagen to investigate a chlorine-based atmospheric methane removal technique using ship plumes as a distinct and attractive reactor class. The advantage of a plume-based approach is that it acts locally and within a limited time (hours), while it is still capable of entraining and processing large air volumes. Compared to other open-air methane removal approaches, they propose that plume-based reactors will be superior in having low environmental impacts that can be controlled, assessed and monitored, and can keep chlorine concentrations within safety limits, even close to the ship’s stack. CIEIF funding will allow the team to conduct expert impact modeling for a hypothetical field test and to obtain a detailed simulation of environmental impacts, as well as to initiate outreach to potentially-impacted stakeholders. The results will then inform them on whether actual field testing is desirable and feasible. Learn more about CIEIF's grant...

Global Ocean Health (www.globaloceanhealth.org ) is a U.S. NGO based in Washington State that is leading stakeholder outreach and social impact assessment on behalf of marine science researchers working within the consortium Exploring Ocean Iron Solutions (ExOIS, oceaniron.org), based at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute in Massachusetts. ExOIS is seeking to comprehensively assess the CO2 sequestration technique known as ocean iron fertilization (OIF) in the North Pacific. CIEIF's grant to Global Ocean Health will enable it to: 1) conduct initial mapping of regional rights-holders, ocean users, and fishing communities that may have concerns about potential effects of ExOIS's future OIF field experiments and any potential deployment of OIF in the region;  2) lead the engagement with those fishing communities that rely on species and resources that could be affected by the field tests or future OIF deployments; 3) convene North Pacific fisheries leaders as a panel of “citizen experts,” with the purpose of building their knowledge via scenario-based investigation to assess risks, benefits, and management options; and 4) prepare findings and further social research recommendations for peer-reviewed publication. To carry this out, GOH is partnering with the Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal at American University in Washington, DC. Learn more about CIEIF's grant...

SeaO2 (www.seao2.com) is a Netherlands-based company developing new technologies to achieve scalable marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) through Direct Ocean Carbon Capture (DOCC). SeaO2 proposes Europe's first commercially-developed, standalone DOCC field test, in Scheveningen Harbor. CIEIF funding will enhance environmental impact assessment, predictive modeling, and stakeholder engagement in that setting. Results from this small test will set the stage for a potential larger North Sea field test by SeaO2 aimed at validating the technology’s gigatonne-scale climate potential. This CIEIF round has unique features, with one grant primarily funding detailed computer modeling of environmental impacts of a hypothetical field test, modeling that is necessary before proposing a possible real-world field test (Acacia et al.). Another grant does not fund environmental impact assessment or modeling at all, rather it funds just the social impact assessment/engagement phases on a broad scale for potential future field testing, including the comprehensive stakeholder outreach needed before moving forward (Global Ocean Health). Two grants go to teams from The Netherlands; the third to a U.S. team. Learn more about CIEIF's grant...

Bennu Climate, Inc (http://www.bennuclimate.com/) UV photostimulation achieves low-cost and scalable methane destruction. The company’s technology permanently removes varying concentrations of the dangerous greenhouse gas methane directly from an air stream. CIEIF is supporting the development of a comprehensive EIA for the company’s small-scale field test, in the open ocean aboard a commercial ship. Bennu’s long-term goal is to remove methane at the multi-megaton scale to help reduce the level of global temperature rise. Learn more about CIEIF's grant...

Frost Methane (http://www.frostmethane.com/) intends to understand the broader environmental effects of installing its “cover-and-flare” systems on livestock farm manure ponds, beyond just methane mitigation. These effects may include production of NOx in the biogas flaring process, reductions in N2O and NH3 emissions from manure resulting from covering manure ponds, manure nitrogen content changes, and changes in farmer manure management practices as a result of the cover-and-flare system. Developing a comprehensive understanding of the on-farm environmental impacts will enable quantification of the co-benefits and potential risks of this novel technology for farmers and for rural areas more broadly. An EIA conducted on one or more of Frost Methane’s current cover-and-flare deployment field tests will support broader adoption of its technology across the hundreds of thousands of livestock farms with concentrated manure ponds globally. Learn more about CIEIF's grant...

ZeroEx (https://zeroex.com/en) is field-testing ERW in western Germany to assess the natural sink for carbon dioxide via silicate rock weathering. In ZeroEx’s case, crushed silicate rock similar to basalt (available from local mines) is spread over agricultural lands, which also enhances soil fertility. While ZeroEx operates within stringent EU guidelines, the environmental risks of ERW more generally are poorly understood. ZeroEx will use the grant for a 3-year field trial to investigate any potentially toxic elements (PTE) resulting in plants, soil, and leachate samples. It will work closely with EIA experts who will independently assess the risks, if any, of PTEs from ZeroEx’s operations. The EIA will enable the safe deployment of ERW locally and, through publications of ZeroEx’s analyses, it could help guide ERW globally. Learn more about CIEIF's grant...

Bluemethane (www.bluemethane.com) is a UK start-up aimed at harvesting methane from wastewater treatment plants and other aquatic sources. Its project will take place at the United Utilities wastewater treatment plant in southern England. It uses mechanical agitation of wastewater in a Bluemethane-developed machine called Harvey to extract the high-concentration methane so it can be recovered and used as biogas. CIEIF’s funding will enable a comprehensive EIA, including ongoing monitoring, covering all potential impacts of this technique. It does so under a detailed framework Bluemethane developed that will be applicable, with some adaptations, to other aquatic methane capture projects in the future. Learn more about CIEIF's grant...

(AR, arcticreflections.earth) is a Dutch start-up aimed at restoring Arctic ice. AR seeks to counter sea ice loss employing a technique known as ice thickening. The thickness of existing ice is increased during winter months by pumping seawater onto the surface. Thicker ice is expected to last longer during the following summer months and increase solar radiation reflection, thereby reducing warming. Learn more about CIEIF's grant...

Captura Corp. (capturacorp.com) is an American ocean carbon capture company. It has innovated an electrochemical technology for low-cost and scalable Direct Ocean Capture (DOC), which removes CO2 directly from seawater. The CO2-depleted seawater then is returned to the ocean with the regenerated capacity to absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere. Captura’s long-term goal is to remove CO2 at gigaton scale by leveraging the ocean’s natural ability to absorb and store atmospheric CO2. Learn more about CIEIF's grant...

International Biochar Initiative (IBI, biochar-international.org) is a global non-profit association working to scale biochar, which is a form of charcoal made from organic biomass, as a viable climate change solution and carbon removal technology. IBI has launched a project in Pakistan to assess how utilizing biochar can build resilience in Punjab province communities that are already at high risk from the impacts of climate change. Open burning of crop residues is common in Punjab and surrounding regions and it causes severe adverse effects on public health nationally. Learn more about CIEIF's grant...