The project aims to recover freshwater and critical materials while removing CO₂ using brine from seawater desalination.
A new Korean test-bed will be built to enhance sustainability by using desalination technology to secure freshwater and recover valuable resources in response to climate change.
On January 14, 2024, BKT/Tomorrow Water (CEO Dongwoo Kim) announced that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Anaheim headquarters of its U.S. affiliate, Tomorrow Water, with K-water (Korea Water Resources Corporation, President Seokdae Yoon) and U.S.-based climate tech startup Capture6 (CEO Ethan Cohen-Cole), headquartered in Silicon Valley.
Under this agreement, the world’s first integrated water management and decarbonization demonstration facility utilizing desalination infrastructure will be established. K-water will provide access to the seawater desalination facility in Daesan, South Chungcheong Province (100,000 tons/day), where BKT and Capture6 will demonstrate direct air capture (DAC) technology that removes CO₂ from the atmosphere using brine—high-concentration reject water generated in the desalination process.
Capture6’s technology not only captures atmospheric CO₂ to mitigate climate change but also enhances economic feasibility by recovering additional fresh water, hydrochloric acid, calcium carbonate, and critical minerals such as lithium during the treatment process. It was recognized in 2023 by all three of the top U.S. climate tech accelerators as one of the leading climate technologies.
In this collaboration, BKT will provide engineering and system integration capabilities across the entire treatment process. The company already offers turnkey services in both Korea and the U.S., covering design, construction, and operation of wastewater treatment plants. It also holds proprietary technologies such as the vMIXER (for carbon dissolution) and FMX (membrane separation) that support climate action.
In April 2023, BKT and Capture6 established a strategic partnership to jointly enter global markets. Under the agreement, Capture6 is responsible for proprietary DAC technologies and carbon credit transactions, while BKT focuses on engineering and construction.
Dongwoo Kim, CEO of BKT, stated, “While Korea has carbon reduction technologies, it has shown limitations in accessing global capital markets dedicated to climate change. Technologies like CCU (Carbon Capture and Utilization), which capture emissions directly from sources like power plants, may send the wrong signal to the market—that it’s acceptable to continue building carbon-emitting facilities if we can capture the emissions. In contrast, advanced economies have developed specialized capital markets that reward DAC (Direct Air Capture), which removes CO₂ already released into the atmosphere. If a developed technology fails to reach commercialization, it loses its sustainability. Yet in Korea, where the focus is often solely on the technology itself, these market dynamics are frequently overlooked. Capture6, recognized by the world’s top three climate tech accelerators, has established a strong carbon credit network that sells captured carbon at premium prices to global corporations. Technology is important, but leveraging international collaboration to access global capital markets—and responding meaningfully to the climate crisis—is what truly matters.”
The seawater desalination market is rapidly expanding in regions and countries suffering from water scarcity. This partnership between a leading public agency and private companies with proven global expertise not only supports climate action but also signals strong momentum for entering desalination markets in regions like the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
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