Extremely cool, cold and… based in Egypt? Meet SGE Carbon Capture

CarbonFix is proud to announce funding SGE Carbon Capture, a pioneering Egyptian startup developing a revolutionary dual-use Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology that eliminates the need for traditional chemical processes to capture CO₂ while generating cooling capacity using thermodynamic principles. Sounds complicated? Well, it is. But also, well, extremely cool. 

Founded by geologist dr. Ayman Hammad supported by a seasoned team with decades of experience in oil & gas research, SGE is focused on one mission: making carbon capture economically viable while generating profitable revenue streams through industrial cooling applications.

Once up and running, SGE will utilize large temperature drops resulting from the expansion process of a pressurized flue gas. (Flue gases are the exhaust fumes following from the burning  of oil, gas or coal.) SGE expands the gas to less than the freezing point temperature of CO₂  (-78.5C) to capture CO₂ in a solid dry ice form and utilizes the remaining super-cooled gas stream to cool industrial appliances, districts or large refrigerations, adding a highly profitable revenue stream next to the carbon capture revenue stream.

SGE’s breakthrough thermodynamic approach uses simple phase separation without refrigerants, solvents, or external heat. This means it could be an extremely cost-effective carbon removal technology (in terms of energy or money) at gigaton scale and much more environmentally friendly than others using chemical agents. 

Which is why CarbonFix is so proud to issue a grant to SGE Carbon Capture. Dr. Hammad, we’re rooting for your success!

Wait- what? Chemical-free carbon capture?

Urgently needed as it is, capturing carbon is still an expensive business. SGE’s innovation addresses this head-on with costs as low as $0-20/ton for point source capture and $0-40/ton for Direct Air Capture in hot weather climates. For comparison: the current industry average is $40-120/ton CO₂,and the European average is between €70 and €250 per ton.

Hammad: “Our direct air capture (DAC) module represents a breakthrough in the cooling and refrigeration sector, even without considering the carbon capture benefits. The system has significantly lower installation costs and energy consumption than existing district cooling or refrigeration systems – consuming only 0.2kW per ton of refrigerant compared to traditional systems. It’s scalable to super-cryogenic temperatures down to -170°C, making it suitable for applications like natural gas liquefaction. Most importantly, it operates without any harmful refrigerants, making it environmentally safe.”

Though SGE’s current goal is to develop their first pilot project in Egypt, their long-term vision is to scale globally in carbon tax markets, contributing to gigaton-level CO₂ reductions annually. Their approach is both novel and practical, offering immediate deployment using existing infrastructure. They can help bridge the gap between climate ambition and economic reality, creating conditions for rapid global scaling. CarbonFix is proud to be supporting this Egyptian innovation.