A new spin-out company has been formed to commercialise pioneering carbon capture and conversion technology that has the potential to reduce global emissions while creating valuable products for everyday use.
CCM (UK) Ltd will commercialise technology - developed at the University of Aberdeen - that is capable of taking CO2 and turning it into valuable carbon-negative industry feedstocks and building materials for large-scale use in construction projects, among other uses.
The potential of the technology has been validated by its progression to the semi-finals of the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE, a global competition designed to address CO2 emissions from fossil fuels which offers a share of a $20 million prize to the winners to accelerate the development for commercialisation of technologies that capture and convert carbon dioxide into valuable products.
The multi-disciplinary team behind the project is led by Dr Mohammed Imbabi from the University’s School of Engineering, Emeritus Professor Fred Glasser, Chair in Chemistry, and Professor Zoe Morrison, previously of the University of Aberdeen Business School.
Dr Imbabi, who conceived and developed the technology along with Professor Glasser said: “The creation of CCM (UK) Ltd is a milestone in the development of this pioneering technology, which unlike many other proposed carbon capture and utilisation techniques isn’t capacity constrained and can capture CO2 from any emission source.
“Because it is scalable it can capture and convert CO2 from a variety of sources to produce solid carbonate feedstocks and convert them into commercially viable products that are in high demand, such as plastics, adhesives, cements, concretes and other building materials.”
Dr Imbabi explained that the initial focus in developing the technology is for large-scale deployment in industrial settings, such as power stations, cement factories and even breweries, but that it could eventually be used to capture emissions from people’s homes and cars.
“The potential for this technology is huge,” he said. “By de-carbonising at source and producing valuable, sustainable products, it can make a positive difference to global CO2 emissions.”
Dr Liz Rattray, Director of Research and Innovation at the University of Aberdeen, said: “The creation of CCM (UK) Ltd underlines our commitment to supporting and commercialising emerging technologies that have been developed here and can contribute both to local economic development and global societal challenges. I look forward to working with the team as the company aims to take their pioneering work to the next level.”