converting carbon dioxid into new coastal soil

Cultivating mussels on autonomously cruising mobile platforms allows to produce protein, to sink carbon and to create new land.

Problem:

To fight rising sea levels carbon capturing and long term storing is needed.

Solution:

Our solution is based on the very old and very proven process of converting carbon dioxide into rock via organisms who produce shells out of it (coquina).

We introduce two new approaches to the mussel producing industry to achieve that goal.

1. We increase the productivity by developing low cost autonomous smart farms, propelled by currents and solar energy that navigate the nutrition rich  sea for 1-2 years to grow the mussels.

2. 75% of the weight is in the shells. Once the autonomous smart farm returns from the harvesting journey, we separate the shells and create deposits that serve as new land or that protect existing land. 

Change the world:

We not only replace existing environmentally unfriendly protein production but create a carbon dioxide sink that potentially lasts for millions of years.

The technologies exist but are applied the first time for the industry of mussel cultivating. 

Our solution makes an existing solution (smart farms) mobile and autonomous. Technology is used for trip planning, navigation, satellite monitoring, protection.

In the next 12 months we plan to define a promising and doable first journey and to derive the corresponding design for a prototype. To do so we study literature and talk to specialists at sea food research institutes. We plan to work with several teams at the ETH Zurich.

We will define many new harvesting journeys, derive new prototypes where needed and test them. Once prototype testing has gone well, we will go one step further and test pre production units. We will fine tune the harvesting journeys and equip the platform with artificial intelligence to become even more autonomous. We will continue to lower the building and maintenance cost. Within three to five years we want to be production ready.

We will address representatives of endangered communities personally and directly plus on special conferences. They will buy equipment and training from us.

None

In 12 months: None

In 3 years: With some luck we will have a production ready system in 3 years and thousands of people will be able to start make a living out of our solution.

I am both a biologist by training and an engineer by experience. I speak both languages and have a strong network. The biggest attraction comes from the very thought through basic idea that involved a lot of thinking and that solves  very urgent problems in a convincing way. Compared to purely technical solutions that wash carbon dioxide from the air (climeworks) the combination of biological and technical know how is rare.

We have four potential revenue streams:

1. Carbon compensations

2. We are in the nutrition market

3. We create building materials

4. We are in the property market, if we create polders

Solve can give me publicity and finances and contacts.

The key barrier is the budget. I will need much more to advance this idea. Solve can help here.