Since the advent of modern air conditioning in 1902, vapor compression has remained the dominant cooling technology. Today, 95% of all cooling equipment relies on it.
As the world gets hotter, demand for cooling is only rising. But air conditioning is hugely energy intensive, using around 20% of all electricity use in buildings. The majority…
10 questions with Christian Fink, co-founder of Astracite
Astracite is making graphite out of CO2 emissions and embedding silicon in it to boost battery capacity by 500%. Powered by green electricity, this process has a 99% smaller footprint than the conventional process, and is carbon negative when using CO2 from carbon capture.
The kicker: it's…
Q: Can you describe Bloomineral in simple terms?We’ve found a way to store carbon in everyday materials, from paint to paper and cement. We add algae to turn atmospheric CO2 and waste products into calcium carbonate crystals using a process called bio-mineralization photosynthesis. It’s like growing plants in an aquarium. We use only CO2, seawater,…
Q: Can you explain your project to me in simple terms?The IPCC says we need to remove around 5-10 Gigatons of CO2 by 2050 per year. Cement accounts for 7-8% of all emissions. If concrete were a country, it would rank behind only China and the US in emissions. And Africa is rapidly urbanising—by 2050,…
What does SGE stand for and what is your mission?SGE is a startup company developing novel, patented technologies to solve two of humanity's major challenges: CO₂ emissions and fresh water scarcity. We currently hold five international patents and are focused on making carbon capture economically viable through innovative thermodynamic processes that require no external chemicals…
Tackling SF6 - The Hidden Climate Threat
Hey Elinor! Why are you called Climate-i?“Our focus is on mitigating fluorinated gases - known as F-gases. At the outset we were curious why so few people in the cleantech space were focused on these gases when they are a big driver of climate change: refrigerant management…
Why are you called Copper Lavender?
"Copper catalyses the transformation of CO₂ into organic compounds and symbolizes our role as a catalyst for change. Lavender signifies our mission to produce complex, fragrant compounds. Our first go to market is to make perfume using this recycled CO₂."
What inspired you to making the chemical industry circular?…
All they needed was vast, empty land, a hot climate and access to seawater. They found it in Mauritania. Now, they are setting out to transform this arid landscape into a cutting-edge carbon capture site. By the next winter, they plan to launch a full-scale pilot covering 2 hectares, a mere prelude to their ambitious…
No, Sherbrooke University professor Martin Brouillette was not driven by a lifelong passion for environmentalism. As a leading figure in technology development, specializing in aerospace and medical devices, climate change never was an issue. Brouillette: At the turn of the century my children Caroline, Louis and Élise started to urge me, “You’re an inventor, do…
From laboratory to removing 5 tons of CO2 yearly She is Dr. Amandine Cadiau, a material chemistry specialist and one of the 40 Femmes Forbes 2024. She traded a successful international research career for entrepreneurship. And while commercial thinking is not actively stimulated in the French academic world, she founded Stathmos - Balance the Climate…
This April, Arctic Reflections will conduct a field test, pumping Arctic sea water over the sea ice near Svalbard (Spitsbergen). The startup aims to prevent further summer ice shrinkage with this seemingly simple technique. Arctic Reflections (AR) is one of the bold protégés of CarbonFix, the Dutch catalyst for significant climate solutions who provides financial support…
CarbonFix was the first to see the potential of Arctic Reflections in 2023. The idea of thickening Arctic ice, by pumping water through boreholes in winter and allowing it to freeze, fits seamlessly with CarbonFix’s mission: to financially support moonshot climate solutions in their very first phase.
From lab to endangered Arctic
The innovative company…
