Captura: Harnessing the power of the ocean to heal the climate.

Captura is a Caltech-founded provider of Direct Ocean Capture (DOC) systems that remove CO₂ from seawater using high-performance electrodialysis and gas extraction, returning CO₂-depleted water to the ocean while producing a measurable CO₂ stream for storage or use. The company positions DOC as a scalable, infrastructure-compatible pathway aligned with MRV and emerging crediting protocols.

Products/Services

• Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) credits: Large-volume, permanent CDR credits from first commercial DOC facilities; initial offtake: 30,000 tons with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL). Frontier pre-purchased CDR on behalf of Stripe/Shopify.

• DOC plant technology & licensing: Modular DOC systems; partners can build/own/operate plants.

• Electrodialysis equipment: PFAS-free bipolar-membrane electrodialysis (BPM-ED) stacks, “up to 10× the performance of leading alternatives,” offered to sectors beyond DOC.

• CO₂ utilization enablement: CO₂ output suitable for e-fuels and industrial users; Captura also highlights potential ocean acidification mitigation co-benefits in semi-enclosed waters (under evaluation).

Technology

DOC uses a pH-swing: a BPM-ED unit generates acid/base; acidifies a seawater slipstream to convert dissolved inorganic carbon to CO₂; gas extraction delivers purified CO₂, and the base restores alkalinity before discharge, with no additives or by-products. Oceanic re-equilibration then draws down atmospheric CO₂.

• Compliance-grade removals for corporate net-zero programs and regulated markets (credits with third-party MRV).

• Industrial integration at desalination plants, seawater-cooled utilities, and repurposed offshore platforms.

• CO₂ for e-fuels in hard-to-electrify transport (aviation, maritime).

• Local CO₂ users (e.g., aquaculture) near pilots.

Key Technology

• BPM-ED performance: Captura reports operation at ~5,000 A/m² and low voltages near the thermodynamic limit with >1,000 hours stability, enabling 5–10× less membrane area for equivalent acid/base output, driving CAPEX/OPEX reductions.

• Cost trajectory (estimate): Captura’s cost model projects $100–$200/tCO₂ levelized removal costs (estimate; subject to scale-up/learning). Earlier literature cited higher figures for non-optimized systems.

• Ocean coupling: DOC targets the ocean’s ~150× higher volumetric CO₂ concentration vs air to avoid large air-contactors and sorbent costs.

Partnerships

• Equinor: Investment (Jan 2023) and joint piloting; Norway and Hawai‘i pilots underpin commercialization.

• Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL): 30,000-ton removal offtake plus strategic deployment partnership and investment via MOL Switch (Mar 2025).

• Deep Sky (Canada): Québec pilot to validate DOC for Canadian deployment.

• Standards/MRV: Collaborating with Isometric on the first DOCS protocol entering public consultation (May 2025).

Achievements

• Pilots: 1 t/yr (Caltech, 2022) → 100 t/yr (AltaSea, 2023) → 1,000 t/yr Kona, Hawai‘i (2025), last step before commercial plants.

• Manufacturing scale-up: New 30,000-sq-ft Pasadena HQ & manufacturing facility; first U.S. site producing full electrodialysis systems domestically (June 2025).

Case Study / Flagship Project

Kona, Hawai‘i Pilot (HOST Park, NELHA) — 1,000 t/yr CO₂ capture; modular system installed and commissioned in ~2 months; CO₂ supplied to local industry (e.g., aquaculture). Serves as a commercialization bridge with Equinor.

Funding & Pricing

• Funding: Series A expanded to $45.3M; new investors include National Grid Partners and Japan Airlines Innovation Fund/Translink. Equinor led an earlier $12M investment.

• Credit pricing: Not publicly disclosed. Estimated removal cost (Captura model): $100–$200/tCO₂ (indicative; not an offer).

MRV & Compliance Alignment

Captura maintains a published CDR Pathway & MRV framework (Oct 2023) and a 2025 update, and is aligning credit issuance with Isometric’s draft DOCS protocol—supporting auditability for buyers, investors, and policymakers.
Note on drivers: Corporate net-zero pathways increasingly require durable removals for residual emissions; Captura frames DOC to meet those regulatory/stakeholder expectations rather than values-based positioning. (See Captura MRV materials and Isometric protocol.)

Conclusion

Captura pairs a streamlined DOC process with partner-led deployment, MRV transparency, and an expanding manufacturing base, positioning it as a compliance-oriented CDR supplier suited to corporates seeking durable removals within regulatory and stakeholder expectations. Near-term diligence: confirm site co-location fit, verify protocol alignment, and structure multi-year offtakes tied to plant build-out.