Applications for the Energy Sector: 73% of global greenhouse gas emissions are attributed to the energy sector (C2ES). Increasing the penetration of renewables in the energy sector is part of the solution. The other part, however, is reducing the emissions of carbon dioxide through carbon capture solutions.

Atoco’s solid-state carbon capture modules can help mitigate these emissions by capturing and separating CO₂  before it is released into the atmosphere. This technology enables the energy sector to reduce its carbon footprint and comply with emission reduction targets.

Applications for the Industrial Sector: 24% of global greenhouse gases are attributed to “energy in industry” whereas 5% is attributed to “industrial processes” (C2ES). A dual strategy is required to ensure that industrial plants increasingly rely on renewable energy sources while also decarbonize through the reduction of their emissions through carbon capture solutions.

Atoco develops solid-state carbon capture modules based on novel reticular-chemistry materials to optimize CO₂  capture solutions for the industrial sector. Our carbon capture technology enables several CCS solutions in the industrial sector. By utilizing Atoco’s carbon capture modules in the industrial sector, CCS applications can effectively reduce CO₂ emissions, comply with environmental regulations, and contribute to the transition to a more sustainable energy system.

Advantages of our Technology in the Industrial & Energy Sector – Our Modules:

• Can be integrated into existing energy infrastructure with minimal modifications.
• Can be incorporated into flue gas treatment systems of power plants, refineries, and other industrial facilities without requiring substantial changes to the overall process.
• Rely on a technology with high capture efficiency, which reduces the energy requirements and costs associated with the separation of CO₂ from flue gases.
• Can be tailored to capture CO₂ from various energy sources, including fossil fuels, natural gas, and biomass. The tunable properties of our reticular materials allow for customization based on the characteristics of the specific energy source and associated emission profiles. This versatility makes them suitable for CCS applications across different energy sectors.
• Have been designed with robust structures and enhanced stability to withstand the demanding conditions of energy-related processes. This longevity reduces the need for frequent replacement and enhances the overall performance and economic viability of CCS systems.

Applications for Commercial & Residential Buildings Sector: By incorporating Atoco’s solid-state carbon capture modules into systems operating in residential and commercial sectors, CCS applications can contribute to reducing carbon emissions from buildings and advancing the adoption of sustainable practices in everyday life. In turn, this will also minimize the exposure to targeted carbon taxes. Our modules can support the post-combustion solutions in domestic and commercial buildings, capturing carbon from heating systems, boilers, and cooling systems. The high CO₂ selectivity of our novel adsorbent materials used in our modules, however, also makes them very effective in capturing and separating CO₂ directly from the atmosphere inside buildings, possibly in combination with HVAC systems.

Advantages of our Technology in the Commercial & Residential Sector – Our Modules:

• Can help reduce the carbon footprint of domestic and commercial buildings by capturing and storing CO₂ emissions generated from energy use.
• Can be integrated into existing building infrastructure and systems.
• Can be incorporated into ventilation systems or integrated into adsorption-based air cleaning devices to capture CO₂ directly from indoor air. This integration enables carbon capture at the source and facilitates the retrofitting of buildings for CCS applications.
• Can contribute to energy efficiency improvements in buildings, leveraging the unique properties of our carbon capture adsorbents.
• Reduces the load on downstream separation and air conditioning and purification processes, thereby improving the overall energy efficiency of the building, by capturing CO₂ directly from flue gases or exhaust streams of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
• Can be used in modular and scalable carbon capture systems suitable for domestic and commercial applications. These systems can be sized to match the specific requirements of the building, allowing for flexibility in implementation and facilitating the deployment of CCS technology in a wide range of settings.
• Addresses health and safety concerns in the delicate environments of commercial and residential buildings. Our solid-state carbon capture modules are free of liquid chemicals, robust, durable, and safer to handle.

Direct air capture (DAC) technologies extract CO₂ directly from the atmosphere. The CO₂ can be permanently stored in deep geological formations, thereby achieving carbon dioxide removal. Capturing CO₂ from the air is more energy intensive and therefore expensive than capturing it from a point source. This is because the CO₂ in the atmosphere is much more diluted than, for example, in the flue gas of a power station or a cement plant. This contributes to the higher energy need and cost of DAC relative to other CO₂ capture technologies and applications. Consequently, innovative technologies are required to fulfill the potential of DAC. Atoco’s solid-state carbon capture modules are highly compatible with DAC applications.

Advantages of our Technology in Direct Atmospheric Carbon Capture Solutions – Our Modules:

• Are based on adsorbents that are designed to have high selectivity for CO₂ over other atmospheric gases, such as nitrogen and oxygen, even though our technology is based on solid-state adsorbents.
• Utilizes our robust and durable solid-state adsorbents that can be reused tens of thousands of times, enabling a new era of cost efficiency for DAC solutions.
• Are solid-state; the solid-state nature of our DAC technology minimizes the health and safety concerns commonly associated with liquid-based DAC materials, which will lead to expanding the use cases and players in the DAC space.

While carbon capture has traditionally focused on large-scale industrial emissions, there is growing interest in capturing CO₂ directly from mobile sources to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from other sectors, in particular the transportation sector.

CO₂ capture from car exhausts and vehicles is an emerging application of carbon capture technologies. Even though the concept of capturing CO₂ from vehicle exhausts is promising, there are challenges to consider.

With Atoco’s innovative adsorbent-based modules, feasible solutions could be provided to address the challenges associated with carbon capture applications in the transportation sector. As our materials have high selectivity, adsorption capacity, regenerable properties, tuneability, and flexibility, they could be used to solve integration issues associated with vehicle exhaust carbon capture technologies. These technologies are still in the early stages.

• Fighting Desertification: Desertification is the process by which vegetation in drylands (arid and semi-arid lands) decreases and eventually disappears. Desertification leads to loss of biodiversity, food insecurity due to crop failure and reduced yields. Atoco’s AWH technology provides a sustainable, off-the-grid, solution to generating water to regenerate vegetation in areas suffering from desertification.
• Desert Farming: Desert farming is the practice of developing agriculture in deserts. As agriculture depends on irrigation and water supply, farming in arid regions where water is scarce is a challenge.
• Urban Greenery: According to the World Health Organization (WHO) it is essential to human health to have access to a minimum of 9 m2 of green space (WHO, 2016). This is especially relevant in urban surroundings, where access to greenery is constrained. Atoco’s AWH technology can be deployed in solutions that are installed on buildings, in parks, by the road, in passive or active mode, irrespective of the humidity regime.
• Arid Land Greenery: In dry and arid lands, it can be costly and difficult to maintain greenery, for instance along high-ways, rail ways cutting through remote locations. Rather than relying on expensive water transport, generating a significant carbon footprint, the water can be generated through a variety of decentralized AWH hubs.

Advantages of our technology in Agricultural & Irrigation Settings – Our Solutions:

• Can operate in environments of extremely low humidities found in deserts and arid lands suffering from water scarcity.
• Can operate entirely off-grid without the use of electricity (passive mode) and because they rely on novel reticular materials, the mechanical parts as well as service requirements are minimized. In effect, the operational expenditure is low.
• Offer a truly sustainable alternative for generating clean water, as no brine and no CO₂ is generated as a side product.
• Can be combined with a wider irrigation system of pipes and pumps, or simply operate at a decentralized level, where the water generated is supporting individual greeneries with fresh and clean water, without the use of irrigation.
• Can be combined with other technologies managing nutrition levels, as fertilizers or nutrients can be added to the water generated.
• Are self-regulated and can be monitored through remote sensing technologies.

• Portable Handheld Devices: Hikers, rescue workers and military personnel rely on access to drinking water. In arid lands, water can be scarce and if available contaminated. Relying on natural reserves is therefore dangerous and potentially life threatening. Our AWH solutions can be developed into handheld devices that fit in a backpack and operate without the use of electricity. They can support the daily water needs of individuals.
• Remote Water Stations: To supplement the lack of reliable natural reservoirs of water, permanent and self-regulated water stations can be set up, harvesting water from the air without the use of electricity can be set up.
• Household Drinking Water: Our AWH solutions provide households with water security and independence, generating high-quality drinking water directly from air, even when relative humidity is too low.
• Mobile Emergency Units for Temporary Refugee Camps and Shelters: In the wake of natural disasters and war, the establishment of a reliable source of clean water is critical. Our solutions can be scaled to support thousands of people with clean and safe drinking water, irrespective of the local water regime. It can operate with or without the use of electricity.
• Mobile Response Units for Temporary Military Camps: Military expeditions in arid lands and complex terrain is a complex logistical endeavor, not least in terms of making critical resources (such as water and fuel) available. Currently, military camps often rely on costly and risky water transport. We can provide AWHs of any water output, that do not rely on electricity, meaning we will reduce the need for water transport altogether. Alternatively, we can run AWHs in active mode. This might increase output, but the electricity required will still be less than the energy consumed on water transports. And the water-security and self-reliance will have been massively improved.

Advantages of our technology in applications for drinking water and human consumptions – Our Solutions:

• Can operate in environments of extremely low humidities found in deserts and arid lands suffering from water scarcity.
• Do not rely on natural water resources such as rivers, lakes, or other reservoirs of water.
• Are based on novel molecularly engineered materials, and therefore largely operate with minimal mechanical parts. Because of their advanced designs, they are extremely robust and reliable, even under harsh conditions, which minimizes ongoing maintenance requirements.
• Can be scaled in size to fit any use-case, ranging from hand-held devices supporting individuals, to large-scale solutions, supporting thousands of people every day.
• Provide high-quality water standards that comply with the WHO drinking water standards and the US EPA drinking water standards.