A small team of environmental and ocean scientists in Australia, known as Whale X, may have discovered a way to remove carbon from the atmosphere efficiently, Hakai Magazine reported. The key to their solution is replicating whale poo.
Whale feces are high in essential nutrients that support the growth of phytoplanktons — a microscopic marine algae that feeds the rest of the ocean food chain.
Phytoplanktons also efficiently capture carbon dioxide, as land plants do, clearing the atmosphere of planet-warming gases. Per Hakai, phytoplanktons absorb "roughly 22 megatonnes (22,000,000 tons) of carbon dioxide (CO2) each year — the amount emitted by about 4.8 million vehicles."
To put this all into perspective, the most efficient carbon-absorbing tree species — the oak tree — captures only 12 tons of carbon dioxide annually, according to the United States National Marine Fisheries Service.
Whale poop (and whales themselves) may be an innovative and resourceful carbon removal solution that limits the warming of the planet while replenishing sea nutrients.
This isn't the first time nature has provided us with solutions for environmental problems. Wax worms were found to break down plastic, tackling plastic pollution and microplastics. Food waste, including mushroom "roots," seaweed, and algae, could replace plastic as a more sustainable packaging option.
Whale poop, however, is noticeably depleting. "4.5 million whales have been taken out of the ocean in the last century," the Whale X website reads. Fewer whales results in less whale poop to fertilize the oceans, limiting the removal of CO2.
As a Phase 1 finalist in Elon Musk's $100 million Carbon Removal XPrize competition, the Whale X team designed an Aquafood formula to mimic the functions of natural whale feces. Per Hakai, the team deployed 80 gallons, or one plume, of whale poop in the Tasman Sea in late 2021.
Since then, the team has refined its process — including using "biopods," five-meter-long cylinders where communities of phytoplankton can grow. This allows scientists to measure the impact on CO2 removal more accurately.
In early 2025, the Whale X team is expected to deploy the equivalent of five plumes of synthetic whale feces in the Tasman Sea.
"It's restoring ecosystems, growing fisheries, and amplifying natural methods," Whale X team Dr. Edwina Tanner commented, per Hakai.
While there are still many unknowns about this innovative carbon solution, "every little bit helps," marine biologist Heidi Pearson said, according to Hakai.
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