1,500kg/hr
H₂ Output
Hydrogen formed at the cathode pylons.
Project OxyPod
Harnessing Abyssal Dark Oxygen & Biomimetic Geoelectric Potential
12,000kg/hr
O₂ Output
Dark oxygen from the anodes: 8 kg for every 1 kg of hydrogen.
46kWh/kg
H₂ Energy Demand
Electrical energy needed per kilogram of hydrogen.
16.4%
Biomimetic Efficiency Gain
From a catalyst surface modelled on natural nodules.
The discovery and the basic idea
Four thousand metres down, in total darkness, metal-rich rocks on the seabed appear to make oxygen. OxyPod turns that finding into a working harvester.
Deep-sea geobatteries
Across the abyssal plains, about 4,000 m below the surface, lie fields of polymetallic nodules: potato-sized lumps of manganese, nickel and cobalt that grow over millions of years.
The metal-oxide surface of each nodule holds a natural electrical potential. Packed side by side, nodules behave like natural batteries, with roughly 1.2 V available to the seawater around them. That potential is one proposed explanation for “dark oxygen”: oxygen made where no sunlight can reach.
- Manganese
- Nickel
- Cobalt
The problem and the solution
1.2 V natural
+0.3 V
1.5 V water-splitting threshold
Natural potential falls short. At 1.2 V the nodules sit 0.3 V below the 1.5 V needed to split water, so electrolysis never gets going.
How OxyPod works
Four stages take a seabed full of weak batteries to two clean gas streams. Select a stage to see the detail.
Synthetic Nodule Catalyst Grid
A lattice of lab-made nodules, built from manganese, nickel and cobalt oxides, is laid on the seabed. Their textured, nodule-like surface exposes more active catalyst per square metre, which is where the 16.4% biomimetic gain comes from.
- Materials
- Manganese, nickel and cobalt oxides
- Natural potential
- 1.2 V
- Working depth
- About 4,000 m
Interactive large-scale simulation
Drive the booster and watch one collector unit respond. Under 0.3 V the array stalls. At 0.3 V it locks on. Push past it and you waste voltage as heat.
Figures follow the project's design targets: 1,500 kg/hr of hydrogen and 12,000 kg/hr of oxygen at 1.5 V, with oxygen at 8 times the mass of hydrogen. Bubble counts follow the 2:1 volume ratio of water splitting. Move your pointer over the scene to stir the water.
Help shape sustainable ocean technology
The deep sea belongs to everyone, so the people who live with the ocean should help decide how it is used. Our community survey asks what you think about harvesting energy from the seabed, which safeguards you would expect, and what you would want to know before any pilot goes ahead.
Your answers shape how we design, test and talk about OxyPod.
The survey link has not been set up yet. Please check back soon.
Responsible by design
Community concerns about seabed ecosystems feed straight into the engineering brief.
Open about the science
We publish our assumptions and design targets so anyone can question them.
Local voices first
Coastal communities see the results before decisions are made, not after.
The team behind OxyPod
Four people, four disciplines, one idea about what the abyss can power.
Sidharth
Chief Scientist & Physics Lead
Builds the geobattery model and works out how little voltage it takes to split water.
Aadi Kuttan
Digital Vanguard & Web Lead
Turns the science into the interactive simulation and the site you are reading.
Akshith
Logistics & System Architecture
Plans how the pylons, hoods and risers fit together and get to the seabed.
Jetin Narendran
Presentation Lead & Front-man
Takes OxyPod to judges, schools and the public, and answers the hard questions.
Send the team a message
Questions about the science, ideas for the design, or an invitation to present? Write to us below. Your message opens in your email app, ready to send.