Capturing Carbon

University of Southampton spin-out ViridiCO2 is revolutionising the sustainability of chemical manufacturing processes by deriving products from carbon dioxide to close the carbon loop.

The UN’s Climate Change Conference, COP26, brought into sharp focus yet again the desperate need for increased action on climate change and reducing carbon emissions. It is time for action and Dr Daniel Stewart, founder of ViridiCO2, is already on the case.

“Our new technology is able to directly replace petrochemicals, these are chemicals derived from fossil fuels used in the chemical manufacturing process, with repurposed CO₂,” explained Daniel. “By using waste CO₂ in this way, it not only reduces emissions and fossil fuel reliance, it also serves as a CO₂ utilisation strategy, rather than just a storage solution.”

Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) is a way to prevent CO₂ reaching the atmosphere by either storing it safely or using it to create useful products. Typically, CCUS involves the removal of CO₂ from the exhaust gases of industrial facilities, such as those producing chemicals.

The CO₂ can then be compressed and transported for storage in geological formations underground, or it can be used as a raw material which can then be utilised to produce products. Current methods of turning CO₂ into a raw material require significant energy and so aren’t widely utilised. To address this, ViridiCO2 has developed a new technology to make this process more energy efficient.

Daniel said: “ViridiCO2 enables manufacturers to use CO₂ as a direct replacement for petrochemicals. Our catalyst takes carbon dioxide that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere and turns it into polymers. These polymers can be used in furniture, cars and clothing. This means consumers will be able to buy products which are actually made from waste CO₂, saving the planet whilst buying the products they need.”

Start up support ViridiCO2 has gone from vision to spin-out at fast speed. Daniel said: “The speed with which the company has formed and grown has been phenomenal and that is due in no small part to all the support we’ve had from so many departments and programmes across the University. During my PhD at Southampton, I focused on the design and manipulation of catalysts for chemical processes to make them more sustainable. Early on, I hit upon something which was incredibly efficient at transforming CO₂ and we developed it for the following three years. Once I completed the PhD, we successfully won an EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award which supported the commercialisation aspects of the technology.”

With this funding, the team was successful in applying to the SETsquared ICURe programme.

Daniel explained: “We went into ICURe not knowing who or what we were as a company – we were just researchers with some cool tech. We had no idea how to apply it. Coming out of ICURe we had a full business model, the validation of a huge network of people who wanted our product and Innovate UK ICURe Follow On Funding.

“It was real a challenge taking part in ICURe during 2020 due to the lockdowns and everything moving online,” explained Daniel. “But I came to realise that there was real opportunity there, to go further and speak to more people than I ever would have been able to in person. In total, I spoke to 97 connections across the world – there were days where I would do six or seven hour-long calls in a day and dealing with different time zones was occasionally a challenge. But it gave us so much information and feedback that I can honestly say it was worth every minute.”

Storage solution In the UK, the Government has already spent £168 million trying to develop CO₂ storage solutions. Daniel and his team have seized on this in emphasising the huge advantages ViridiCO2 technology provides in this area.

He said: “What we’re doing with ViridiCO2 will not only save manufacturers millions of pounds, it will also be a much more environmentally friendly solution. This was our selling point when talking to investors, which we did with great support from the start-up accelerator, Future Worlds, who have helped us secure all our equity investment.

“We are now using that investment to scale up the technology and work with our early adopter customers who want to turn CO₂ into high value chemicals. Chemical manufacturers are a key customer for us. The chemical industry is one of the largest emitters of CO₂ in the world and our product is poised to utilise the waste CO₂ that they generate and repurpose it back into their own products, so it produces a circular economy with no need for CO₂ storage.”

ViridiCO2 is currently a team of six with plans to grow rapidly to carry on achieving something great for the environment.

Daniel concluded: “If we don’t solve the issue of CO₂ emissions and greenhouse emissions, we’re in real danger of facing a climate catastrophe that will affect every single person on the planet. We need to take action and develop these technologies now.”

Dr Daniel Stewart

For further information, visit: www.viridico2.co.uk