Scalable biotechnology based CO2 extraction and sequestration technology.
The Atmospherica process utilizes naturally occurring, photosynthetic, shell-forming micro-algae to sequester CO2 and store it as calcium carbonate, a highly durable mineral that is stable for millions of years. It is a safe and relatively easy process that can be implemented quickly and cost effectively.
The Problem
The problem is that we know that carbon dioxide is accumulating in the atmosphere at a significant rate. However, about 15% of the industrial emissions cannot really be realistically removed over the next 4 or 5 decades because there are many technologies that use high energy, density, fuel and they cannot be readily replaced with the alternative energy sources we currently have. Think about jetliners, ocean liners, etc.
It is widely agreed that about 10%-15% of the emissions that exist today will exist over the coming decades, too. So there is a general, well understood need for actively capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and sequestering it in a safe form.
Most of the currently available solutions that capture carbon dioxide, whether it’s a point source or from point source emission, use an energy intensive chemical filtration process so filters that need to be heated, and the end product is a gas phase, carbon dioxide, which is then usually injected deep underground being stored at high pressure. This is difficult to inventory, manage and store properly.
The Solution
The Atmospherica solution is to capture carbon dioxide in calcium carbonate, which is a highly stable mineral, which itself is then easier to track. It’s a safe storage option and can even be used for construction material. It has minimal environmental impact and uses a relatively simple technology. This simple technology enables high scalability.
It’s a biotechnology based solution for carbon dioxide capture and sequestration. The solution uses the basic mechanism that the earth’s climate system is using itself to remove carbon dioxide and sequester it. So it’s already happening. Atmospherica is using this process and amplifying it.
The Opportunity
The opportunity for carbon capture is enormous. There are generally 3 types of industries that are interested in this solution. First are large cement and construction materials companies located worldwide. They are in desperate need of a solution to lower their carbon emissions as they are one the largest sources of carbon dioxide emission. It’s not transportation but rather the construction materials themselves.
Another industry are fossil fuel and mining companies that are very interested investing in solutions that offset carbon dioxide emissions.
Last are a collection of other industrial companies that are simply interested in the financial benefits of carbon credits. There are investors and large funds that are investing in technologies that are able then to sell carbon credits to other companies.
Status
Atmospherica has demonstrated its ability to perform carbon capture in full sized photobioreactors growing multiple species of calcium carbonate. Also modeled are an initial assessment of the economics of scale up both in terms of Capex and Opex.
Meet the Team
Joel Cuello PhD
College of Agriculture, Life & Environmental Sciences
Daniel Apai PhD
College of Science
Steven Wood MS, MBA
Tech Launch Arizona
Contact us today.
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The Atmospherica process utilizes naturally occurring, photosynthetic, shell-forming micro-algae to sequester CO2 and store it as calcium carbonate, a highly durable mineral that is stable for millions of years. It is a safe and relatively easy process that can be implemented quickly and cost effectively.
