NeoCarbon unveils lab to enhance CO2 capture tech

NeoCarbon, a pioneering German startup in carbon capture technology, has launched a cutting-edge chemical laboratory at its Berlin factory.

The facility is dedicated to advancing the development of high-quality sorbents, the key materials used in Direct Air Capture (DAC) systems to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.

The new lab marks a significant step in NeoCarbon’s mission to create more efficient, scalable, and cost-effective solutions for carbon capture.

Sorbents play a crucial role in DAC by chemically binding and separating CO2 molecules from the air.

The optimization of these materials is vital to improving the efficiency of DAC systems, particularly in terms of CO2 capture capacity, regeneration rate, and energy consumption.

The performance of sorbents can vary with changing atmospheric conditions, such as temperature, humidity, CO2 concentration, and pressure, making it essential to develop materials that maintain high levels of efficiency under diverse conditions.

Silvain Toromanoff, NeoCarbon’s co-founder and Chief Technology Officer, emphasized the importance of this new facility.

“The new chemistry lab is a major opportunity for us to position NeoCarbon to lead the industry in creating scalable, effective Direct Air Capture solutions. In contrast to other developers who are using low-efficient sorbents, NeoCarbon is able to optimize the key material to the needs of its customers. The new facility not only supports NeoCarbon’s immediate research and development goals, but also advances the future of DAC in terms of scalability, efficiency, and financeability,” Toromanoff said.

The lab is equipped with advanced tools for chemical and surface characterization, allowing NeoCarbon to fine-tune the properties of sorbents that influence CO2 adhesion. This ensures rigorous quality control and the ability to scale production from small samples to larger volumes.

The flexible testing setup accommodates sorbent samples ranging from 1 gram to 1 kilogram, enabling comprehensive evaluation of carbon capture performance and facilitating direct scaling of innovations for commercial use.

NeoCarbon’s Berlin site also houses its production of DAC reactors, which are designed to utilize waste heat from existing infrastructure to reduce energy costs.

The company has set an ambitious goal to remove 1 million tons of CO2 from the atmosphere annually by 2030, underscoring its commitment to addressing climate change through technological innovation.