A first-of-its-kind technical report will evaluate how new water treatment practices could improve water quality while addressing public health, ocean acidification, climate change, and economic challenges. 

Municipal wastewater treatment systems are essential public infrastructure, and an estimated 3–7% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from them. Nutrient and chemical discharges from wastewater treatment systems contribute to coastal ecosystem stress and ocean acidification in some regions. Now, a new research project will examine whether alkalinity practices in municipal wastewater treatment have the potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions while improving economic, environmental, climate, and health outcomes. 

Today the Carbon to Sea Initiative, an international non-profit effort evaluating ocean-climate solutions, awarded $225,000 to a cross-sector team of scientists, engineers, and industry professionals to evaluate opportunities for integrating ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) with municipal wastewater treatment technologies, such as wastewater alkalinity enhancement (WAE).

Applied within wastewater treatment at the point of wastewater discharge, OAE is an emerging ocean-based carbon dioxide removal (also referred to as mCDR) approach that works by enhancing the ocean’s natural capacity to absorb and permanently store CO₂. WAE is a wastewater process intensification and CO₂ removal technology pioneered by CREW Carbon, delivered in biological treatment, that improves nutrient removal, settleability, and removes greenhouse gases. This technology has been deployed by CREW at 10+ utilities to date, showing positive results and verified CO₂ removals. Both OAE and WAE have the potential to transform existing wastewater treatment infrastructure into a platform for measurable climate and environmental benefit. They also have the potential to increase treatment capacity, thereby avoiding the need for costly capital upgrades.

This award from the Carbon to Sea Initiative will support the development of a technical report examining opportunities to integrate OAE into wastewater treatment systems. The winning project brings together experts from leading universities, utilities, standards organizations, water tech and carbon removal companies, and engineering firms to assess the scientific, operational, geographic, and policy implications of the approach. 

The project will evaluate whether updated alkalinity management practices in wastewater systems could help municipalities improve water quality outcomes while lowering costs, mitigating ocean acidification, and potentially supporting durable carbon removal pathways.

The collaborative research team will produce a final technical report that will provide the foundational knowledge needed to evaluate the geographic feasibility, climate impacts, operational considerations, and recommendations for future pilot efforts. The technical report will include a quantitative and qualitative evaluation framework, biogeochemical modeling, carbon life cycle analysis (LCA), cost and co-benefit analysis, and five illustrative case studies drawn from across the globe. To reflect real-world operating conditions and OAE deployment concerns, the team will conduct interviews with utility operators, wastewater treatment practitioners, and OAE project developers.

“This project is about understanding whether communities can gain climate and environmental benefits from the infrastructure systems they already rely on every day,” said Brishelle Gamble at the Carbon to Sea Initiative. “Municipal wastewater treatment is essential public infrastructure. This report will help evaluate whether using those systems for ocean alkalinity enhancement can also contribute to healthier waterways, more resilient coastal communities, and long-term climate goals.”

“This collaboration brings together expertise across wastewater engineering, marine chemistry, economic decision science, carbon removal science, and environmental standards,” said Dr. Jeremy Testa, Professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and Project Lead. “Our goal is to provide a wide range of municipalities and policymakers with a rigorous assessment of integrating ocean alkalinity enhancement into wastewater treatment systems.”

The collaborative research team includes experts from Black & Veatch, Carbon Removal Standards Initiative (CRSI), Clean Water Services, CREW Carbon, DC Water, Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD), NEWhub Water Corporation, University of Delaware, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES), and Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture (YCNCC). The principal investigator on this project is Dr. Jeremy Testa from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.

Funding and support for the initiative was provided by the Carbon to Sea Initiative, DC Water, HRSD, Ocean Sewage Alliance, and The Water Research Foundation.

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About Carbon to Sea

The Carbon to Sea Initiative is a non-profit scientific research effort to advance ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE) as a potential carbon dioxide removal solution. OAE works by accelerating the natural weathering process where alkaline minerals neutralize CO₂ in seawater, enabling the ocean to absorb more atmospheric CO₂. The initiative brings together scientists, engineers, and policymakers to rigorously evaluate whether OAE can safely and effectively remove billions of tons of carbon dioxide while countering ocean acidification. For more information visit: https://carbontosea.org/

Press Contact:

Name: Danny Gawlowski

Organization: Carbon to Sea

Email: danny@carbontosea.org