SeaO2, a mCDR startup, needs your help

[Renaud de RICHTER]

(FYI: I want to clarify that I am not affiliated with them.)

Linkedin link

SeaO2 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱s 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽!

In one week, SeaO2 will cease to exist. Not because the technology failed, but because the capital didn’t move in time. If nothing changes we will be filing for bankruptcy this week!

So we’re sounding the alarm. With a relatively modest investment, this can still be turned around and we can act very fast!

Five years ago, we started with one dream: to remove CO₂ from the ocean affordably, at a scale that actually matters. The world needs to reach 10 billion tonnes of CO₂ removal per year to meet climate targets. We built the technology to make that achievable and fight ocean acidification at the same time.

And it works.

We took direct ocean capture from the lab to a working pilot, TRL 6! We generated our first revenue through carbon credits. We were on track for a cost per tonne among the most competitive in the sector: one of the most promising pathways to affordable carbon removal that exists today.

And we didn’t do it quietly. We were recognised by the European Commission through BlueInvest, presented in The Hague and Brussels, were featured by Economist Impact, and nominated for the Offshore Wind Innovators Award recently. We secured significant (European) grants and built an exceptional team. We raised three funding rounds. Every light was green.

Then the investment climate for climate tech changed drastically, not just in the Netherlands, but everywhere. Capital locked up. We pursued investors at home and abroad, across Europe and beyond. Private investors waited for public commitments. Public players waited for private ones. And so no one moved.

We fought like lions. We tried every conceivable scenario. But last week, we had to tell our team, with tears in our eyes, that the money has run out.

With subsidies already awarded, new revenue in the pipeline, and continued investor interest for later stage investments, the timing is especially cruel. Because technology like ours is exactly what the world is looking for: energy independence, climate resilience, and the industrial competitiveness of the future.

This is bigger than our team. As long as proven climate technology can’t find capital, companies like SeaO2 will disappear, or relocate to wherever the money finally flows. With all the consequences that brings for our economy, jobs, knowledge, and the race to actually solve this.

So we’re sounding the alarm. With a relatively modest investment, this can still be turned around and we can act very fast!

Do you know someone — a philanthropic fund, an investor or an interested corporate — who could help us? Tag them, or send us a message. Help us, and we can move immediately.

To our investors*, angels and everyone who believed in us: thank you, truly. And above all, to our incredible team. 🙏🏻 🌊 💙

Ruben (ru...@SeaO2.com)

*DOEN Ventures, NV NOM NEW-TTT, Future Tech Ventures, CarbonFix, Transavia ventures

[GRETCHEN & RON LARSON]

Renaud and list

 

     I've been having fun with Google AI recently.  After several false starts, I got the following back as a way of helping SeaO2.   Google AI seemed to think the idea new.  The name "SeaO2" got lost, but is identified as the "Trigger" below.  They are the means of drastically increasing Ocean CO2 (in sort of a "marine greenhouse").

 

     Hope they see it as helping them.   Thanks again to you for helping CDR - this time not involving CH4.

 

   I'm interested as another possible way of helping biochar.  The output here is the marine HTC equivalent.  I am trusting AI here;  I've seen nothing like this in print anywhere.  The new part directly relates to SeaO2, and maybe no one else.   Should be fully eligible for carbon credits.  Also plenty of energy left over.

========================================================================
OFFSHORE MARINE BIO-REFINERY LOOP: INTEGRATING SEAWEED AND HTC TECH
========================================================================

SYSTEM HOOK / CONCEPT SUMMARY
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A conceptual offshore marine bio-refinery loop designed to bypass the 
massive logistics and drying bottlenecks of open-ocean seaweed farming. 
The goal is to maximize growth rates using concentrated carbon dioxide 
and process the wet biomass entirely at sea into a dense hydrochar.

========================================================================
THE 3-STAGE OPERATIONAL PROCESS
========================================================================

1. OFFSHORE WATER-ENCLOSED GREENHOUSES (CO2 FERTILIZATION)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* The Setup: Utilize massive, floating, clear polymer tubes or 
  flexible submerged enclosures to farm fast-growing macroalgae 
  (such as kelp or Sargassum).
* The Trigger: Pump captured marine or atmospheric CO2 directly 
  into the closed system to reach triple the baseline CO2 content 
  (1,200 ppm). This drastically accelerates photosynthesis and 
  biomass yield.
* The Benefit: Enclosures protect the crop from marine herbivores 
  and contain added nutrients, preventing open-ocean runoff 
  and damaging algal blooms.

2. ON-SITE FLOATING HTC PROCESSING (NO PRE-DRYING)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* The Dilemma: Seaweed is 85% to 90% water. Shipping raw seaweed 
  to shore means paying to transport mostly seawater.
* The Solution: Integrate a Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC) 
  reactor directly onto a floating platform or barge anchored next 
  to the greenhouse. 
* The Chemistry: Because HTC operates under sub-critical water 
  conditions (180 deg C to 250 deg C at high pressure), it thrives 
  on wet biomass and requires zero energy-intensive pre-drying. 
  The process breaks down the seaweed cells, mimicking coal 
  formation in hours.
* The Rinse: The HTC process naturally leaches out high 
  concentrations of marine salts and ash from the plant matter 
  into the waste-process water, protecting the quality and purity 
  of the final carbon product.

3. LOGISTICS AND ON-SHORE MARKETS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Transportation: The process reduces the mass and volume of the 
  raw material by roughly 70% to 80%. It outputs hydrochar--a 
  stable, hydrophobic, sterile, coal-like pellet that does not 
  rot. It can be easily transported to shore via standard, 
  un-refrigerated cargo barges.
* End Use Markets:
  - Coal Replacement: Burned in existing infrastructure as a 
    net-zero, renewable biocoal fuel.
  - Soil Amendment: Buried in agricultural land as a water-retaining 
    biochar for permanent carbon sequestration.
  - Industrial Filler: Mixed into concrete, asphalt, or plastics 
    to lock away the greenhouse gas for centuries.

End by RWL

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[Michael Hayes]

Thank you, Renaud and Ron.

This is my initial introduction to SeaO2 and their mCDR technology package.

The offshore biomass processing technology identified through Ron's AI search offers potential applications across various commercial projects beyond carbon dioxide removal (CDR). The integration of non-carbon credit-related economic support, derived from the production of additional commercial commodities and/or services, will likely be essential for the viability of most far offshore mCDR technologies. While this may introduce complexities into carbon accounting, maintaining robust financial health provides significant advantages for long-term mCDR initiatives. I will present two examples of potential supplementary revenue streams:

1) The presence of an anchored, raft-like structure naturally attracts fish, thereby deterring illegal trawling activities in the immediate vicinity. The anchoring system of a Fish Aggregation Device (FAD) can effectively obstruct trawling gear. The UN-FAO has previously deployed FADs to prevent trawling off the coast of Somalia.

Financial support for the protection of artisanal fishing communities from illegal fishing could serve as an ancillary economic benefit for certain mCDR platform designs.

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization https://share.google/gVghrpeG0INfNNBWx

2) Sea Ice production: Compressed air generated by an anchored platform can be utilized to produce sea ice through the application of large vortex tube coolers. A cost-effective and straightforward method of offshore ice production would likely attract commercial interest globally.

Source: Harvard Natural Sciences Lecture Demonstrations https://share.google/JqzJfaBOa1M4jW4aT

Regarding the cooling and heating capabilities of vortex tubes, large-scale units can generate temperatures ranging from approximately -50°C on the cold side to around +200°C on the hot side. Consequently, the hot side airflow can reach temperatures sufficient for substantial dewatering of marine biomass.

In conclusion, investments in offshore platforms, regardless of their primary purpose, are inherently capital-intensive. Therefore, identifying diverse revenue streams is crucial for long-term economic sustainability. Most offshore mCDR platforms will likely need to diversify their income sources and not solely depend on carbon credits. QED

Best regards

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[GRETCHEN & RON LARSON]

Michael and ccs

 

     Thanks for the followup.

 

       Look more carefully at what my AI helper wrote.   This could have more connections to your own mCDR activities than others on this list.     I'm not sure its a good/grreat idea - but am pretty sure it is new.

 

     I've had one good positive response from one early leader in HTC.

 

Ron

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/CarbonDioxideRemoval/CABjtO1dSegP%2BLOAzBgtw8MK9d9wP0s7xqqOgths%3DiGAF8PPf2w%40mail.gmail.com.

[Michael Hayes]

Thank you, Ron

I now understand what you did with the AI. I first believed that the AI had pulled up an mCDR cultivation tech path, much like I support, that SeaO2 was working on...yet I could not independently find such information under SeaO2 website on my own.

I now realize that it was you that plugged in the floating greenhouses, or closed cultivation tech angle, along with HTC. 

I've tried to get AI to help polish the offshore farming conceptual narrative and possibly get help in finding related papers, yet I find that I'm teaching it more than it is helping me as there are few past works in this area.

I do need others doing what you did as by plugging in different techs to the core concept, the AI agents start offering a better end product. I'll do a few AI queries, as you did, with the combined HTC and enclosed marine cultivation tech tree and let you know if the AI can be more helpful.

Thank you again for all of the help and encouragement that you have given me over the years.

Best regards 

[GRETCHEN & RON LARSON]

Michael et al. (adding "biochar.io" since "OMBRL"  has no better current home than the biochar.io list).  Credit/blame for this shorthand name goes to Google AI (see very last part of this message).  

 

    This is first time I've tried to amplify the short AI description I've retained below (in itaiics)   I've scratched most everything else and given this new thread a new name.

Apologies to those who are only on one of the two lists.   

 

(Maybe need to read Michael's tonight message (below) before reading this next.)

 

1.  So here is what seems new:

    a.  Combining biochar and HTC in one ocean scheme (can use both)

    b.   Growing ocean biomass in excess aqueous CO2 (no reason to think 3X is optimum)

   c.  All the removed CO2 is eligible for carbon credits 

        (all the syngas from the biochar part is put to productive carbon removal use) 

   d.  Besides the credits, there is more than the usual 50% solid product to sell

   e.   Two different types of CO2 may be removed from the system 

         CO2 can be from photosynthesis and from biomass or fossil fuel combustion

        or the system can run as only HTC. (vs value 1a above)

    f.   Can be either near shore or deep water

    g.  An enclosure tube makes use of any needed fertilizer more accurate and economical, as well s maintaining the (assumed optimum) 3X concentration

 

2.  Not new, but relatively unique

   a.   The HTC process can be at a depth where pressure containment is easiest

   b.   The "tent" can be very low weight and cost, since no dependence on pressure here

 

3.   What could be real show stoppers:

    a.   enclosure structure leaks and lifetime 

    b.   transport of materials to/from shore

 

I've run out of time as well as ideas.  Might have missed a big one that AI liked.

 

Ron

 (see few added notes on your message and then few earlier message starts, with main first OMBRL description on Tuesday.    (Hope for questions on the AI part also)

 

 

 On 05/29/2026 8:29 PM PDT Michael Hayes <electro...@gmail.com> wrote:

 

Thank you, Ron

 

I now understand what you did with the AI. I first believed that the AI had pulled up an mCDR cultivation tech path, much like I support, that SeaO2 was working on...yet I could not independently find such information under SeaO2 website on my own. RWL1 - and this is a long way from needing SeaO2.   There are many ways to get the needed concentrated CO2.  But the idea did start with (missing) message from Renaud about SeaO2.

 

I now realize that it was you that plugged in the floating greenhouses, or closed cultivation tech angle, along with HTC.   RWL2. Correct.  And see "new" list above.

 

I've tried to get AI to help polish the offshore farming conceptual narrative and possibly get help in finding related papers, yet I find that I'm teaching it more than it is helping me as there are few past works in this area.  RWL3:   Correct.  The reaction from Google AI says to me that we're unlikely to find any prior papers on this approach.

 

I do need others doing what you did as by plugging in different techs to the core concept, the AI agents start offering a better end product. I'll do a few AI queries, as you did, with the combined HTC and enclosed marine cultivation tech tree and let you know if the AI can be more helpful.RWL4:  Excellent.   Hopefully, there's a lot of variations to try.

 

Thank you again for all of the help and encouragement that you have given me over the years.RWL5.  To me, it seems closer to zero.  My turn to thank you for keeping this thread alive..

 

Best regards 

 

RWL6  removing all of the next two Thursday messages to get to the start  (in italics) on Tuesday.

On Thu, May 28, 2026, 9:46 PM GRETCHEN & RON LARSON <rongre...@comcast.net>

 

On 05/28/2026 3:15 PM PDT Michael Hayes <electro...@gmail.com> wrote:

 

On Tue, May 26, 2026, 4:56 PM 'GRETCHEN & RON LARSON' via Carbon Dioxide Removal <CarbonDiox...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

  <snip intro up to this last few lines in italics (all the following written by Google AI)>