In April, Nova Scotia’s Planetary Technologies won the XPRIZE Carbon Removal XFACTOR Award, receiving $1 million for pioneering work in seawater restoration to combat climate change.
The recognition followed a Series A raise of capital in 2024.
Planetary’s approach aims to restore the ocean’s natural ability to absorb carbon dioxide attempting to rebalance seawater chemistry.
Through partnerships with water treatment facilities and integration with existing infrastructure, the Halifax-born company can assist coastal waters sequester more carbon, reduce acidity, and support marine ecosystems.
Pilot projects have already demonstrated measurable results, according to chief executive officer Mike Kelland, offering a promising path for large-scale impact.
Kelland founded Planetary alongside Dr. Greg Rau in 2019. The company, originally branded Planetary Hydrogen, launched with multiple focuses. But the climatech entrepreneurs quickly honed in on a specialty.
“The company has evolved into a sole focus on ocean-based carbon removal,” he recently informed Foresight Canada’s Senior Digital Marketing Manager, Stacey Armstrong.
Kelland believes that “Ocean alkalinity enhancement is the most scalable and cost-effective form of carbon removal (land or ocean), thus it’s the most likely pathway to have the biggest climate impact.”
“Many independent studies have since confirmed this thinking,” he noted.
By introducing purified alkaline minerals into the ocean, Planetary enhances the water’s natural ability to absorb and store CO₂ as stable bicarbonate ions.
Crucially, the Canadian cleantech’s system operates through existing coastal infrastructure, like power plants and wastewater facilities, which helps make it scalable and cost-effective without requiring new industrial development, according to Kelland.
This approach also delivers the co-benefit of reducing ocean acidification, helping to restore marine ecosystems, he added.
“Scaling our solution means permanent carbon removal at gigaton scale, plus real co-benefits like reversing ocean acidification, ultimately supporting marine ecosystems,” Kelland told Armstrong. “Economically, it opens new opportunities for infrastructure reuse, regional project development, and participation in the growing carbon market—especially in coastal communities which are at the forefront of the climate crisis.”
To learn more about how Kelland and his company are combating climate change through coastal cleantech, check out his full interview with Foresight.