Indirect air CO(2) capture and refinement based on OTEC seawater outgassing

In this paper, we propose a low-cost method to capture and purify CO(2) from ocean water indirectly from the atmosphere. Atmospheric CO(2) dissolves in seawater following Henry's law. In open-cycle ocean thermal energy conversion (OC-OTEC), being a heat engine, large quantities of water are used to generate electricity from temperature differences in the ocean. CO(2) and other gases dissolved in seawater are extracted from seawater by a vacuum compressor, being essential for heat transfer in OC-OTEC. Non-condensable gases containing CO(2) from OC-OTEC are currently considered a waste gas stream. Based on literature, we calculate cold water non-condensables containing up to 14% CO(2). These non-condensables can be refined further to 80–90% purity with a water absorption process, inspired by those as used in the biogas industry. Levelized CO(2) capture and purification costs were estimated to be 15–35 euro per ton, as only refinement costs are allocated of a waste gas stream of OC-OTEC.