Innovation Award “Best CO₂ Utilisation 2022”

nova-Institute and YNCORIS, together with the co-organiser CO₂ Value Europe will award a prize to innovative products and technologies in the field of Carbon Capture and Carbon Utilisation (Power-to-X). The innovation award for the “Best CO₂ Utilisation 2022” will be granted at the “Conference on CO₂-based Fuels and Chemicals”, 23–24 March 2022, hybrid event.

Here are the three winners of the award 2022 in detail:

1^st winner: CleanO₂ Carbon Capture Technologies (CA) – CleanO₂ Soap

CleanO₂® makes a revolutionary soap the old-fashioned way. Using 5,000-year-old know-how, the company makes premium natural cold-processed soap that contains captured carbon. In the form of potassium carbonate, this captured carbon gives the soap a luxurious silky lather. They convert the waste CO₂ into potassium carbonate, before the carbon enters the atmosphere, using a patented process. And even after the soap is used, the carbon remains sequestered. Further information: www.cleano2.ca

2^nd winner: Avecom (BE) – Power to Protein

Power to Protein covers the sustainable production of protein-rich ingredients for human consumption. Avecom makes use of single cell micro-organisms or bacteria that naturally consume hydrogen and oxygen gas, both derived from green electricity by means of electrolysis, and carbon dioxide to produce a biomass rich in protein and vitamin B12. Further drying of the biomass will produce a powder that can be further applied as food ingredient. The Power to Protein process uses its additional resources like nitrogen without any loss to the environment, therefore is not an emitter but a net consumer of carbon dioxide. Further information: www.avecom.be

3^rd winner: Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB (DE) – eBioCO₂n Technology

The eBioCO₂n technology developed among Fraunhofer IGB, MPI Marburg and TUM Campus Straubing powers for the first time the selective incorporation of CO₂ into highly complex molecules using green electricity. Its potential relies on the replacement of petrochemical-based processes to directly build molecules using electrolysers for CO₂ reduction. eBioCO₂n is a step towards achieving an energy and resource efficient circular carbon economy. Further information: www.igb.fraunhofer.de

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Nominees of the Innovation Award!

Acies Bio (SI) – OneCarbonBio
A fossil-fuel-based economy emits 1 billion tons of CO₂ annually to produce industrial chemicals. To achieve net-zero goals by 2050 and limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 °C, the way we produce our raw materials must be redefined.
OneCarbonBio uses power of synthetic biology to improve and leverage microbes' ability to convert CO₂ derived feedstock, methanol, into value added chemicals, such as plastic monomers or amino-acids. Using C₁ feedstock we can achieve a significant reduction of carbon emissions and arable land usage for production of industrial chemicals. OneCarbonBio consists of patented chassis strains, industrial fermentation solutions and a powerful synthetic biology toolbox to generate strains capable of production of different classes of biological molecules in a rapid manner.
www.aciesbio.com

Air Company (US) – Air Eau de Parfum
Air Eau de Parfum is the world’s first fragrance made from air. Inspired by the earth’s most abundant and vital elements of air, water and sun, it’s a genderless fragrance designed to be as Institute for Ecology and Innovation unconventional as possible. Each bottle created prevents 0.036kg of CO₂ from being released into the atmosphere.
Using 100% renewable energy, the ethanol base, which is the most prominent alcohol used in fragrance, was created using the company’s proprietary Carbon Conversion Reactor technology which mimics photosynthesis by using air (CO₂), water and sun (solar energy) to transform CO₂ into impurity-free alcohols. This results in a carbon-negative formula. The ethanol is then formulated with water and their curated sequence of notes to create the scent and final fragrance which is fresh and citrusy with top notes of fig leaf and orange peel, heart notes of jasmine, violet and sweetwater and base notes of powdery musk and tobacco.
www.aircompany.com

Avecom (BE) – Power To Protein
Power to Protein covers the sustainable production of protein-rich ingredients for human consumption. Avecom makes use of single cell micro-organisms or bacteria that naturally consume hydrogen gas and oxygen gas, both derived from green electricity by means of electrolysis, and a third gas - the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide - to produce a biomass rich in protein and vitamin B12. Further drying of the biomass will produce a powder that can be further applied as food ingredient. The Power to Protein process uses its additional resources like nitrogen without any loss to the environment, and is a net consumer, not an emitter, of carbon dioxide.
www.avecom.be

CleanO₂ Carbon Capture Technologies (CA) – CleanO₂ Soap
CleanO₂^® makes a revolutionary soap the old-fashioned way. Using 5,000-year-old know-how, the company makes premium natural cold-processed soap that contains captured carbon. The captured carbon, in the form of potassium carbonate, gives the soap a luxurious silky lather. What's more, even after the soap is used, the carbon remains sequestered.
But that's not the whole innovation. The sale of CleanO₂ soaps helps fund the research, manufacture and installation of CarbinX™ carbon-capture units. This creates a virtuous business cycle.
As for the approach to carbon capture, CarbinX units are attached to the flues of natural gas heating appliances in commercial buildings. They convert the waste CO₂ into potassium carbonate, before the carbon enters the atmosphere, using a patented process.
www.cleano2.ca

Fraunhofer Institute for Interfacial Engineering and Biotechnology IGB (DE) – eBioCO₂n Technology
The eBioCO₂n technology developed among Fraunhofer IGB, MPI Marburg and TUM Campus Straubing powers for the first time the selective incorporation of CO₂ into highly complex molecules using green electricity. Its potential relies on the replacement of petrochemical based processes to directly build molecules using electrolyzers for CO₂ reduction. The bioinspired system is fed with electrons transferred through a viologen-based redox polymer into Ferredoxin-NADP⁺ reductase which converts the electrical energy into chemical energy in the form of NADPH used by crotonyl-CoA carboxylase/reductase to fixate CO₂ into crotonyl CoA at rates of 1.6 ± 0.4 μmol cm^-2 h^-1 with 92 ± 6 % faradaic efficiency. eBioCO₂n is a step towards achieving an energy and resource efficient circular carbon economy.
www.igb.fraunhofer.de

Nordic Electrofuel (NO) – E-Fuel 1
In E-fuel 1, the innovative set-up of the technology elements will be demonstrated for the first time at an industrial scale, located near to a CO/CO₂ waste gas emitting plant and using ~ 12 % of their unavoidable emissions to produce synthetic crude. In E-fuel 2, all (100 %) of the furnace gas will be used, reducing GHG emissions with 480 000 tons/year. The pilot plant is expected to prove the calculated emission reductions during the project lifetime of 10 years. During this time, the upscaling will be realized at the same location, and the demonstration plant will be operated in parallel to prove further efficiency gains.
www.nordicelectrofuel.no

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First stage: From now until 21 February 2022

Producers and inventors of innovative products and technologies are invited to hand in a completed application form (application form is closed!) and a leaflet or a two-page PDF about the product in English including printable digital pictures (300 dpi), which are free of use in our subsequent media publicity. The documents should explain the particular aspects of the innovation. If it is possible please also submit a sample of the product (or a small material sample if the product is too unhandy).
Delivery address and email contact: nova-Institut GmbH, Achim Raschka, Chemiepark Knapsack, Gebaeude 0611, Industriestraße 300, 50354 Huerth, Germany

Second stage: End of February 2022

A jury consisting of representatives of the nova-Institute, the advisory board and sponsors of the conference will nominate the outstanding “Top 6” applicants prior to the conference.
After the jury has selected the “Top 6” candidates among the applicants, their application documents will be made available for download from the conference website to provide our audience and other interested individuals a first glimpse of these innovations.

Third stage: At the conference (23 March 2022)

In a short 10-minute presentation, each of the six companies or institutes will introduce their innovation on the first day of the conference (23 March). Following the presentations, the audience will choose the three winners, who will be presented with their awards at the Innovation Award Ceremony (likewise on 23 March), in the evening.
The “Top 6” will present their innovations in a shared exhibition space provided by the nova-Institute. Additionally, there is the option to book your own exhibition space (For information will be published soon).

All six nominated candidates for the Innovation Award will be presented with their innovations on the conference homepage, in the conference journal and in a press release. After the election, the three winners will be honoured on stage at the festive conference dinner. The first winner will receive the prize trophy donated by Innovation Award sponsor Yncoris. All three winners and their innovations will be highlighted in the subsequent media coverage.
Please note that it is obligatory for the chosen “Top 6” candidates to present their product or technology at the conference on 23 March 2022. Each “Top 6” candidate will get one free 2-day ticket and further tickets at a discount rate.

Download: Overview of the past innovation award winners (PDF).