Vycarb Strives to Scale Carbon Removal Using Water, And It's Starting in NYC

Technology that can extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is increasingly regarded as an essential part of averting the worst consequences of climate change. Carbon dioxide removal, a term used to describe a variety of approaches that capture and store carbon from the atmosphere, is gradually gaining wider acceptance. But it is often energy-intensive, very expensive, and can involve environmental risks connected to carbon storage.

Vycarb, a Brooklyn-based startup, developed a carbon dioxide removal process that uses much less energy and avoids storage issues, intending to make carbon removal a scalable option for combatting climate change. The company launched a pilot program at the Brooklyn Navy Yard that aims to capture and remove 100 metric tons of carbon each year using water from New York City’s East River. 

Though bodies of water are known for storing carbon dioxide, they can also emit it through natural processes. Vycarb’s technology captures that carbon before it reaches the atmosphere. The process starts with turning the carbon into bicarbonate, a chemical that naturally forms when carbon dioxide dissolves in water and is part of the ocean’s system to mitigate increasing acidity. 

“Bicarbonate is the largest carbon pool on the planet’s surface, with most of it found in the oceans. While the Earth naturally converts carbon dioxide into bicarbonate, we accelerate that process,” Garrett Boudinot, Vycarb CEO and founder, told TriplePundit. “When you want to increase the absorption of carbon dioxide by the ocean, that’s a process that takes a long time and happens over wide geographic areas, is very hard to measure, and very hard to control and optimize.” 

Vycarb’s technology is placed in waters with high carbon dioxide levels that are releasing it into the atmosphere. The system filters the water through the minerals calcium and magnesium. Doing so sets off a chemical reaction that converts the carbon dioxide into bicarbonate, which is released and dissolved in water — eliminating the need to sequester the carbon. Converting carbon dioxide to bicarbonate creates an immediate, measurable reaction that reduces the amount of carbon released into the surrounding air, Boudinot said. 

So far, the process hasn’t had negative impacts on local ecosystems and can actually benefit marine life by reducing the water’s acidity level, which can rise due to high levels of carbon dioxide, Boudinot said. Independent testing of its impact will continue at the new pilot location to ensure the technology doesn't cause harm as it scales up. 

Vycarb is simultaneously using its tech to solve another issue plaguing the carbon dioxide removal industry: measurement. 

“The biggest challenge in ocean carbon removal is measurement,” Boudinot said. “The basic chemistry behind adding calcium to the ocean to enhance carbon dioxide absorption has been understood since the late 1980s, but measuring changes in ocean carbon cycling is extremely difficult.”

That creates several barriers, he said. Regulators are unlikely to approve adding materials to the ocean based on uncertain, long-term projections. Local communities are often resistant to projects that purport to alter the ocean without seeing clear, immediate benefits. And buyers of carbon removal credits want high-quality, verifiable and safe solutions. 

Vycarb is addressing these challenges by focusing on getting precise measurements with first-of-its-kind carbon sensing technology. Integrating that into its carbon removal process allows for greater confidence, faster verification, and better alignment with regulatory and market expectations, Boudinot said. The sensor tracks the carbon dioxide, bicarbonate and carbonate that pass through the system in real time, ensuring the water is safe to release and measuring captured and removed carbon.

The East River project is the startup's third pilot program, he said. The first pilot removed only milligrams of carbon dioxide annually, but it allowed Vycarb to validate its technology and measurement system. A second pilot on Governors Island in New York Harbor demonstrated the company’s autonomous, real-time measurement and removal of carbon dioxide. 

In just two years, Vycarb sold $500,000 of carbon offsets, indicating strong demand for a fully-measured and permanent option. At the end of 2024, the United States Department of Energy also selected the startup as a semi-finalist for what could be the first-ever carbon dioxide removal offset purchase by the federal government. 

Looking ahead, Vycarb would like to deploy many smaller systems that each remove 1,000 to 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, instead of relying on one large facility, Boudinot said. This approach reduces risk and makes it easier to scale up while having a broader overall impact, he said. The company is looking at about eight locations around the world with high carbon dioxide levels. 

“Once our Brooklyn system proves it can operate autonomously and meet performance targets, we’ll expand to larger projects at these locations,” Boudinot said. “Eventually, our goal is to shift to an enabling technology model, where instead of directly running hundreds of projects, we provide a tool that communities, businesses and organizations can use to drive their own carbon removal efforts.”