by It's been a while since the last big to-do about adding limestone to the planet's oceanic waters, but researchers sponsored by oil company Shell are saying that they've found the ultimate solution this time.
Adding limestone extracts to the surface of the planet's oceans will dramatically lower the emission of CO2 into the atmosphere. This is because adding lime to seawater creates an increase in alkalinity, which in turn improves the water's ability to scrub the air clean of carbon.
As early as the 1990s scientists have been working on similar plans. But most projects ran into trouble because the logistics of getting masses of limestone to certain locations was calculated to generate even more CO2. Various other problems were also cited, including the costs of actually extracting lime from limestone.
But the Shell sponsored feasibility study, recently reported in Chemistry & Industry magazine is promising. The project's coordinator, Gilles Bertherin, cites potentially massive ecological benefits from adding limestone to the waters. "Adding calcium hydroxide to seawater will also mitigate the effects of ocean acidification, so it should have a positive impact on the marine environment," according to Bertherin. Corven, as a management consultant, calculated that by using local means wherever possible, the plan is going to be feasible.
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