Aspioneer (A): The complexity of capturing and converting CO2 is not well understood by many people. Can you shed some light on the challenges involved?
Dr. Beatriz Molero Sanchez (BMS): CO2 conversion is a broad field; CO2 can be used as a reactant or a building block in many different ways. In that sense, there is a wide variety of end products that could be CO2-based, from concrete or sustainable chemical feedstocks to soap or green plastics.

For instance, CO2 can be dissociated into carbon monoxide and oxygen or it can be transformed into other chemical species to create different products. However, CO2 is quite a stable molecule-meaning that it will not be dissociated unless a substantial amount of energy is added. Overcoming this means finding products that don’t need this energy boost or finding less energy-intensive ways to dissociate CO2.

A: How are you and your team at SeeO2 Energy tackling this problem?
BMS: SeeO2 Energy develops an economically viable process to convert waste CO2 to industrial feedstocks and value-added fuels. Unlike other solutions, we reduce the electrical input need by 30% and our technology can tolerate impurities. When coupled with low-carbon electricity, our net carbon-negative emission process reduces at least 4x emissions compared to the incumbent stream methane reforming technology currently used/used to produce these feedstocks. Also, our process is modular and scalable with minimal utility requirements, making it well suited for remote or on-site applications. The technology is well suited for the “on-demand” production of industrial gases, eliminating the need for large storage and transportation of these gases. This process will be the underpinning technology for the production of renewable industrial feedstocks (carbon monoxide, hydrogen, oxygen, and syngas), a new standard for sustainable chemical processes.

A: What are the benefits of introducing your technology to the market?
BMS: The world is facing a global crisis with the exponential growth in CO2 emissions. SeeO2 recycles CO2 emissions to foster sustainable production of Industrial chemical feedstocks and fuels in a net negative carbon process. The market for carbon monoxide, hydrogen, oxygen, and syngas is USD 34B and expected to reach USD 43B by 2023. Our solution applies to a variety of industries, including manufacturing, automotive, chemical and energy, metals, plastics, and more.

Our solution offers a range of solutions for our customers:
• Reduce carbon footprint,
• Monetize CO2 emissions,
• On-site production of reliable and clean industrial gases and feedstocks,
• Store surplus electricity as fuels and chemicals.

A: What is the current status of your technology?
BMS: We have fully developed a benchtop prototype and we are ready for field demonstrations. SeeO2 Energy has secured three committed field demonstration projects with industrial partners in Europe and North America. SeeO2 has been awarded the Eureka label by the EUREKA Secretariat for our field demonstration project with ArcelorMittal starting in Q2 2021.