2. OXYLUM

What do you do exactly?

Oxylum CEO Bert De Mot: “Since we have to abandon fossil fuels we manufacture alternative, climate-neutral carbon. We do this by extracting CO2 from the air and adding electrochemical substances. This converts the CO2 back into carbon, which can be used for industrial purposes.”

Why is it so innovative?

“Right now no one else is doing what we do. However, the technology has been in existence since the seventies but it was never explored further. We are developing the technique further and we are looking for a way to use it in big industries.”

How is that coming along?

“We started approximately one year ago as a spin-off. Right now we have a lab prototype we can use to convert CO2 into products such as formic acid, on a modest scale. Formic acid is used in cleaning agents, animal feed and textiles. We can offer them an alternative for the fossil raw material.”

What do you dream of achieving with Oxylum?

“Contributing to a cleaner world that genuinely curbs climate change. We are currently working on our first pilot that is to be deployed in the port of Antwerp. Afterwards upscaling should be possible in the region of several tonnes of CO2 per day. From there the sky is the limit.”

How do we make car batteries safer? A pertinent question now that the electrification of the car fleet is kicking up a gear. And it’s not that simple. Together with coolant producer Arteco, VUB university has gone in search of an optimal coolant that reduces or even eliminates the risk of exploding batteries.

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What is the subject of your research?

Professor Annick Hubin of VUB research group SURF (Electrochemical & Surface Engineering): “Finding the right composition for a coolant is not that simple. Additives are added to coolants to reduce corrosion. This project focuses on finding even better alternatives. We do this by examining whether the additives that protect the combustion engine have to be adjusted to also better protect the battery casing At the same time we are researching how to optimise the operation of the coolant.”

How do you combine experimenting with modelling?

“We implement electrochemical research methods to determine the impact of the composition of the coolant on the behaviour of the casing material. With an electron microscope we study the surface of the material in minute detail. We are also experimenting with other additives and materials for the casing. This enables us to draw up a chemical map of where and when corrosion occurs. In addition we use computer calculations to determine how effective these additives are at dissipating heat. However, additives that improve heat dissipation could potentially promote corrosion. To avoid this we are looking for coolants with ultra-low electrical conductivity. This significantly reduces the risk of the batteries overheating and exploding.”