Climate change is ravaging the oceans. Some startups see a solution in marine carbon capture

As the global demand for energy continually increases, the strain on natural resources and the detrimental effects of fossil fuels become more problematic. But new developments in renewable energy technologies may provide new solutions. Minesto, a company based out of Northern Ireland, has a new device - structured something like an underwater kite - that allows for the constant harvesting of tidal power, regardless of current weather or wave conditions.

The California-based startup Magrathea Metals is producing magnesium with renewable energy to make the process less expensive and material-intensive. The company aims to make the more environment-friendly metal competitive with steel and aluminum.

A direct carbon capture plant in Iceland sucks carbon dioxide out of the air, mixes it with water, and pumps it underground to help combat climate change. When the mixture reaches the basalt bedrock, it causes a chemical reaction that turns the carbon into a solid so it can be stored underground in the porous rock.

The startup Pipedream Labs is running small, electric vehicles in tunnels under Peachtree Corners, Georgia, to make last-mile deliveries for local restaurants. The aim is to reduce emissions, traffic, and delivery costs for businesses.

Two Texas-based companies are 3D printing homes in an effort to combat the housing crisis and produce fewer emissions than a typical home construction. The companies lay the foundation and rebar for support. Then, a machine with a robotic arm builds up the walls by printing layers of a cement-like material.

Gree Energy helps food processors in Indonesia overcome the financial barriers to installing anaerobic wastewater treatment plants. These plants turn methane emissions into biogas to be used as electricity or thermal energy. The company plans the builds, finds uses for the biogas, and establishes revenue to fund the projects.

Phool, a startup in India, makes a plant-based leather alternative using flower petals discarded from Hindu temples after rituals to feed microbes that grow the material. The product, named Fleather, keeps flower waste from contaminating rivers and is a sustainable, biodegradable alternative to animal leather.

Joebliss Enterprise purchases and collects paper waste from homes, businesses, and collection agents in Abuja, Nigeria, and processes it for recycling, reducing the amount that produces methane emissions in landfills.

The startup CarbonRun developed a machine that adds limestone to rivers to increase the amount of carbon dioxide they trap. Adding the alkaline substance to the water as a powder converts carbon dioxide into a stable molecule, which keeps it underwater.

Researchers in India developed a spray that is applied to mangoes to extend their shelf life by about a week, reducing food waste and increasing farmers’ profits.