27 teams advancing in $20M NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE; converting CO2 to products
18 October 2016
XPRIZE announced the 27 teams representing six countries advancing in the $20-million NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE, a global competition to develop technologies that convert the most carbon dioxide emissions from natural gas and power plant facilities into products with the highest net value. The semi-finalist teams propose converting CO2 into products as varied as enhanced concrete, fuels, toothpaste, nanotubes, fish food and fertilizer.
Launched in September 2015, the 4.5-year competition includes the demonstrations by finalist technologies at either a coal or a natural gas power plant. Six of the teams are competing in both the coal and natural gas competition tracks. About half of the 27 teams are producing fuels of one sort or another, with several more producing liquid chemicals that could serve as intermediates to fuel production. Those teams producing fuels or potential intermediates include:
Aljadix (Switzerland). Led by Thomas Digby, the team is producing carbon negative biofuel. Coal plant.
Breathe (India). Led by Sebastian Peter, the team is producing methanol. Coal plant.
C4X (China). Led by Wayne Song, the team is producing methanol and bio-composite boards. Coal plant.
EE-AGG (United States).Led by Mark Edelman, the team is producing methanol. Coal plant and natural gas plant.
Innovator Energy (United States). Led by Ethan Novek, the team is producing syngas and acetic acid. Coal plant and natural gas plant.
Low-Energy-Consumption CO2 Capture and Conversion (United States). Led by Maohong Fan, the team is producing fuels and chemicals. Coal plant and natural gas plant.
Opus 12 (United States). Led by Etosha Cave, the team is producing plastics, fertilizers, and gasoline. Coal plant.
CAT.ALY.ST (United States). Led by Stafford Sheehan, the team is producing biofuels. Natural gas plant.
CERT (Canada). Led by Ted Sargent, the team is producing formic acid. Natural gas plant.
Dimensional Energy (United States). Led by Jason Salfi, the team is producing hydrocarbon fuels. Natural gas plant.
Hago Energetics (United States). Led by Wilson Hago, the team is producing gas and liquid fuels. Natural gas plant.
Pond Technology’s Carbon Cyclers (Canada). Led by Peter Howard, the team is producing biodiesel and solid biofuel. Natural gas plant.
RES Kaidi (United States). Led by Mark Robertson, the team is producing dimethyl ether (DME) for chemical feedstock or fuel. Natural gas plant.
White Dog Labs (United States). Led by Bryan Tracy, the team is producing acetone. Natural gas plant.
Semi-finalists participating in Round 2 will demonstrate their technology at pilot scale at a location of their own choosing, using either real flue gas or simulated flue gas. Over the course of a ten-month period, teams must meet minimum requirements and will be scored on how much CO2 they convert and the resulting net value of their products.
Following Round 2 judging scheduled for November and December 2017, up to five teams in each track that score the highest will share a $2.5-million milestone purse and move on to the finals of the competition.
In the Final Round, teams will demonstrate their technology under real-world conditions at a larger scale, with access to two test centers adjacent to existing power plants. Teams competing in the coal track will test their technologies at the Wyoming Integrated Test Center (ITC), a cutting-edge carbon research facility in Gillette, WY. Teams competing in the natural gas track will test their technologies at a natural gas power plant in Alberta, Canada, to be announced this fall.
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