Capturing carbon from wastewater

How could this innovative method help to combat global warming?

Spotted: Municipal wastewater treatment is responsible for up to five per cent of global greenhouse carbon emissions. This concentrated source of CO2 is produced by rapidly reacting microbes in the treatment facility. CREW Carbon is working to change this by partnering with industrial and municipal wastewater operators to capture and store CO2 permanently, while treating wastewater effectively.

CREW introduces naturally occurring carbonate minerals to the carbon-rich industrial or municipal wastewater. As a result, the CO2 is converted into bicarbonate, a form of carbon that can remain stable for thousands of years and has no global warming effect.

The startup enhances this process with a patented sensor system that measures the chemistry of the carbon-rich water entering and exiting the system in real time. This is combined with smart dosing hardware that integrates into existing infrastructure and introduces precise amounts of mineral to the process water to optimise carbon removal.

CREW’s measurement, reporting, and verification system can quantify CO2 removal with high precision, meaning the process can yield valuable carbon removal credits that treatment facilities can then trade for additional income. The technology has been verified by outside agencies and is featured in peer-reviewed publications in partnership with Yale University.

CREW has been chosen for the 2024 Accelerator cohort of Imagine H2O, a global nonprofit supporting entrepreneurial water solutions. The technology is currently deployed at a municipal wastewater facility in the Northeast, USA.

Written By: Lisa Magloff