How to capture 2 billion tonnes of CO2 AND fix our oceans.

Carbon Dioxide removal from our atmosphere is now an unavoidable and essential aspect of our climate mitigation challenge in the 21st Century. We've left it so late that just reducing our emissions is no longer enough. Now a UK based company called Brilliant Planet has perfected a method that, at full scale, can drawdown 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide from our atmosphere every year while also restoring alkalinity levels to our ocean ecosystems.

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Research Links

Brilliant Planet website

New Atlas article on Brilliant Planet

Climate Tech article about Brilliant Planet

Carbon Credit Markets Explained

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Ella Gilbert

[zazugee]

i'm from Algeria and live in the desert, and algae really grow like crazy here even in the middle of summer as long as there is plenty of water
i was trying to grow duckweed to feed my chicken but duckweed started dying when temperatures reached 40C so i gaveup and let my small 2x4m artificial pond dry, but ended getting 5kg of free dry algae and i was feeding it to tilapia fishs i'm raising, so i avoided buying expensive fish feed

[timbrown]

I really like how this guy puts his videos together. And it isn't ever clickbait. Thanks for not ever wasting my time.

[idt]

What saddens me the most is that despite the decades long push to plant trees and stop the deforestation of rain forests, it seems most of that effort has fallen along the wayside. I am in my 60's and can recall hearing about these issues 50+ years ago and we still are decades behind according to experts.

[truthisfree]

I wish the best for this organization. I put together a team and tried to promote this idea nearly 15 years ago. We had an outstanding proposal and the numbers to prove that it could work. Sadly, we could muster any funding for the idea - perhaps it was just an idea too far ahead of its time or we simply couldn't reach out the way people can now.

[Snoodlehootberry]

This is the first company I have heard of that has a real world idea come to a commercially successful and scalable implementation. Very exciting

[vonries]

I can hardly believe it. A project that's out already, instead of 5 years out into the future. I love it.

[obijuan]

I call this channel just a Brilliant Think. IMO this is the best YouTube channel for non-biased coverage of potential solutions to counter the effects of human activity on our shared planet. He introduces ideas then points out flaws in the technology or other challenges for technology to become scalable. We are quickly learning the value of algae and bacteria to our lives. I think this is a real world solution that is scalable, and verifiable, with no apparent negative side effects.

[ericmaclaurin]

I love this! It would be fun to design an outflow that desalinated enough of the water to create a managed wetlands, salt water marsh and a commercial nursery for habitat restoration projects.

[geoffreyofmonmouth]

I used to have micro algae business in North Wales for the aquaculture industry. Our long term goal was exactly this.

[bulasev]

This sounds like an actual practical solution for the carbon capture problem... never heard of them. Thanks for directing my attention to them.

[stevenfetterly]

I've considered this idea bloody brilliant for nearly 20 years. I'm so happy that it's so very successful.
My spin on this idea is to harvest high quality bio-oil from the algae and combine some of the dry weight algae with aircrete (concrete with oil based detergent) inorder to produce more outdoor ponds and needed buildings while saving over 50% on building materials. All of these processes require low skilled labor and could provide inexpensive housing for the laborers and their families. So much could be done from here, but the point is that it makes sense for mankind and for the environment.
Thank you for a great video.

[oootoob]

The trouble is that this only works as a business through offsetting, so it only addresses current emissions demand and not historic emissions already in the atmosphere, so unless governments start paying for the capturing of historic emissions, this is never going to scale up fast enough to be effective.

[savroi]

There are a few things I don't fully understand. 1- While being dried up, doesn't the algae release at least some CO2 back to the atmosphere? 2 - Once the dried up algae is buried does this mean the land on top becomes "sterile" forever or can it be reused after a period of time and if so, how long? 3 - I imagine a few of this recycling plants won't affect climate, how extensive can this be without affecting at least the local climate? 4 - Are there any studies or projects to use the dried up algae to make something out of it? I think if that can be found a way to use this algae without releasing it CO2 back to the atmosphere this method would be not only sustainable but a great development asset.
Thanks for your videos, they are very illuminating and a stark contrast to the general gloominess of these times.

[buzhichun]

I had expected more critical presentation, this comes across as basically a commercial, reading the brochure. I'm a bit stunned tbh.
What about the desert ecosystems being disrupted? Are people being displaced? (the Moroccan state specifically is in long-standing conflict with tribes and peoples inhabiting the Sahara) How much hinges on the viability of these "local" algae species? They've made it work in one place, apparently, will it just work everywhere? Will the mass production of algae disrupt local ocean ecosystems? Just how much dried algae can you cram underground? Will the massive buildup of salt have any influence on the operation in the long term? How sensitive is the process to changes and disruptions in... climate? To climate disasters?
The complete reliance on (the current implementation of) carbon credit trading makes me very skeptical as well.

[ricknoyb]

I had a similar thought of growing kudzu in the American south, drying it out and sealing the compressed biomass back into West Virginian coalmines. Humidity and transportation complicate the idea, but if one could show reticent people in those areas that carbon capture could be profitable, minds might start changing.

[robertb]

This is one of the first sequestration methods that looks truly sustainable. I really hope it works.

[badrinair]

THis is a concept that I was wondering about since the past 4-5 years. But thought there are lot of smarter people who know what they are doing. Really glad that this is a very promising tech If all the plants can put 21% of entire atmosphere with )2, then definitely they know how to scale naturally. So definitely theycan take out the CO2 as well . I once read an article that these dried up algae can be put back into unused mines for sequestration for good. Re using the desert area for this is the best part. The evopration from the ponds can also help the local climate by keeping it cool for vegetation to start. Big boost to the economy of the people living in such airid region. I love this project. I really hope/pray that they succeed.

[SaveMoneySavethePlanet]

I know cap and trade systems aren’t perfect, but this is a great example of why we need them.

The process sounds great, but it also sounds expensive, and they’re currently getting money from voluntary credit purchases. That’s the beauty of a well run cap and trade system: it forces the main polluters to finance needed projects like this one.

Don’t forget that the California cap and trade system is credited with helping Tesla make the jump from startup to profitable company.

[profpablo]

Rather than start from scratch with each batch of algae it would be faster and easier to just remove say 90% and let the remaining 10% go through a few doublings and repeat. I suspect there must be an unmentioned problem of contamination or algal disease that requires continuingly restarting from the flask stage.

[Dysiode]

This technology along with the calcification drum that also preconditions the water for destalinization are hugely exciting for the ocean ecosystems! I find it interesting that they're sequestering the alge rather than using it as a renewable biomaterial, but it does seem like the high salt content would make it difficult to use for that and hugely helpful for preservation. I'm surprised they're bothering to cap the deposits at all with so much salt.

So great to hear about companies not just developing ideas but also doing it in an environmentally conscious way