Feeling the heat? Our oceans are 30% more acidic than before the Industrial Revolution, thanks to extra CO₂ cranking up carbonic acid levels. This acidification messes with the coral reefs you scuba-dive in off Phuket or snorkel over in the Philippines, hitting marine life and fishing communities hard.
Enter Limenet, a Sicilian startup led by Stefano Capello. They’re working from Sicily’s “Triangle of Death” industrial coast, where petrochemical pollution is a daily reality. Their breakthrough: turning limestone—one of Earth’s most common rocks—into a carbon-sucking machine that usually takes millions of years… in just four minutes! 🚀
Here’s the science without the jargon: CO₂ in the air makes a weak acid that corrodes limestone, freeing up bicarbonate and calcium bits. In nature, these drift to the ocean and lock away carbon for millennia. Limenet’s reactors turbocharge this process, grabbing CO₂ fast and safe.
Right now, their pilot plant at the Port of Augusta nets about 800 tons of CO₂ a year—a drop in the ~20 billion-ton bucket we need. But remember: limestone is 7% of Earth’s crust. If we doubled its use globally with this tech, we could pull down over 1 billion tons of CO₂ every year. Mind-blowing, right? 🤯
What’s next? Their first modular reactor is set to come online in early 2026. For young changemakers from Mumbai to Manila, this is proof that teaming up with nature—rather than battling it—can heal both our skies and seas.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
