Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) Engineering Award

Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) Engineering Award

Status: RFP closed (deadline was August 5, 2022)

Overview: Request for Proposals to develop prototypes of new tools, technologies, and processes that could enable safe, cost-efficient, and scalable Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) as a method for large-scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR).

Administrator: Additional Ventures in partnership with Ocean Visions and a consortium of philanthropic funders

Geographic Scope: Global

Focus Areas: Development of supporting technologies for OAE, including:

Technology Categories Sought:

• Deployment mechanisms: Efficiently prepare and/or disperse alkaline substances into seawater (mechanical hardware, chemical processes, etc.)
• Integration technologies: Designs, technologies, and software to integrate OAE into existing marine and coastal industries such as:
- Transoceanic shipping - Desalination - Offshore wind - Commercial fishing
• Monitoring & verification: Sensors and platforms to support monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of OAE

Award Details:

What They Fund:

Program Context: Part of the Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement R&D Program designed to accelerate understanding of OAE as a potential large-scale CDR method. Complements the OAE Research Award (which assesses whether OAE can safely and permanently sequester atmospheric CO2 at scale).

Scientific Justification: IPCC suggests that even aggressive emissions reduction will require carbon dioxide removal of 100–1000 billion tons of CO2 before end of 21st century. Ocean-based CDR approaches that build on natural ocean processes are among the most promising.

Contact: Additional information available through the OAE Engineering Award page

Alignment: Aligns with Ocean Visions' ocean-based CDR Road Maps (established 2021) which outline key research, testing, and evaluation needs.