CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Nov. 26 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists said they have invented a technology that can reduce the accumulation of atmospheric carbon dioxide caused by human-related emissions.
Researchers at Harvard and Pennsylvania State universities said their technology uses electrochemical means to remove hydrochloric acid from the ocean and neutralizes the acid by reaction with silicate (volcanic) rocks. The researchers said they can accelerate natural chemical weathering, permanently transferring CO2 from the atmosphere to the ocean.
Unlike other ocean sequestration processes, the scientists said their new technology doesn't further acidify the ocean and might be beneficial to coral reefs.
The research was reported in the journal Environmental Science and Technology.
