Category: News & Insights

Carbon capture is underway at NTPC’s 500MW coal-fired power plant (Unit-13) at Vindhyachal  Super Thermal Power Station, in Madhya Pradesh, India.

NTPC Energy Technology Research Alliance (NETRA) has selected Carbon Clean and Green Power International Pvt. Ltd to set up the carbon capture plant at NTPC Vindhyachal. This plant is designed to capture 20 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) per day, which will use a modified tertiary amine to capture CO_2, from the flue gas of the power plant. The CO₂ will eventually be combined with hydrogen to produce 10 tonnes per day of methanol through a catalytic hydrogenation process.

The capture of CO₂ from the flue gas of coal-fired power plants, and its conversion to methanol, is a priority area for NTPC and is expected to create potential new business opportunities and revenue streams for the company.

Aniruddha Sharma, Chair and CEO of Carbon Clean, said:

“We are thrilled to see our technology begin to capture carbon from NTPC’s plant and look forward to seeing how the CO₂ to methanol project develops in the future. This project demonstrates how carbon capture supports industrial decarbonisation, as well as providing opportunities for companies to join the growing circular carbon economy.”

Surbhi Puri, Director, Green Power International added:

“It is a great honour and achievement to successfully demonstrate the carbon capture project at NTPC’s Vindhyachal plant. It is a matter of great pride for us to work with Carbon Clean on this project that will help deliver a greener and cleaner future. Decarbonisation through carbon capture is the future. With this small contribution towards the net zero economy, we hope to inspire the industry to make further strides in this decarbonisation drive.”

Carbon Clean’s CDRMax™ carbon capture technology can be used with point source gases that contain CO₂ concentrations between 3% and 25% by volume and produces CO₂ with purities greater than 99%, which can then be sold, re-used, or sequestered. The CDRMax™ process uses the company’s proprietary solvent, process equipment design, and advanced heat integration to significantly reduce both capital and operating costs.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and CHASM™ Advanced Materials (CHASM) are joining forces to advance scalable decarbonization technologies from discovery through deployment through a new memorandum of understanding, or MOU.

The production of cement, an essential ingredient of concrete, is responsible for 8% of the world’s anthropogenic CO2 – nearly 3 billion tons per year. The high-temperature process (-1450 °C), known as calcination, converts calcium carbonate (CaCO 3), the principal component of limestone, to calcium oxide (CaO), or lime, releasing CO2. CO2 is released from both the heating process (40%) and the reaction during calcination (60%). Overall, the process emits more than 800 kg of CO2 for every metric ton of cement produced and represents most of concrete’s overall carbon footprint.

One common way to reduce concrete’s carbon footprint is to substitute cement with other cementitious materials like fly ash, but the use of high volumes of fly ash can substantially reduce the overall stiffness, flexural strength and early compressive strength of concrete. Research has shown that the addition of very small quantities of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) led to the production of concrete with unprecedented improvements in mechanical properties, potentially offsetting the effects of high volumes of fly ash. However, these results were obtained using non-scalable processes to overcome the challenges of dispersing CNTs in the mixture.

CHASM Advanced Materials is a leader in creating innovative product platforms for a safer, more connected and sustainable world, and is actively pursuing partnerships to rapidly advance the development and manufacture of CNTs and CNT hybrids to decarbonize cement through its NTeC™ platform. CHASM is pursuing opportunities in applications that range from building materials to advanced manufacturing processes.

ORNL is actively involved in the development of materials with a broad range of applications from energy storage to advanced manufacturing. The purpose of the partnership with CHASM is to develop a collaboration roadmap to support CHASM’s develop and deployment efforts, and to explore opportunities where CHASM’s advanced technologies can help reduce carbon emissions associated with cement processes and materials.

“CHASM is proud to partner with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to accelerate scalable cement decarbonization solutions,” Dave Arthur, CHASM CEO, said. “We are on a mission to develop low-carbon, low-cost, cement, and our partnership with ORNL will redefine what’s possible for the national and global concrete industry.”

Under the new MOU, the potential collaborative activities may include:

• Optimization of the proportion of CHASM’s additive, NTeC, to maximize fly-ash usage and displacement of carbon-intensive cement in concrete.
• Optimization of the dispersion process of CHASM’s NTeC additive to be compatible with construction practices in the field.
• Exploring the benefit of the demonstrated self-sensing property CHASM’s NTeC additive imparts in concrete for stress monitoring and life-cycle management of structures.
• Developing a framework for deploying this solution across the construction industry.

UT-Battelle manages ORNL for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. The Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.

CHASM Advanced Materials is a developer and manufacturer of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and CNT hybrids – a new class of advanced materials for safer, more connected and sustainable living. Better connected smart cities, ice-free vehicle sensors and lights, faster charging and discharging EV batteries, greener concrete, and abundance of pure water are all innovations powered by CHASM. Our nanotube hybrids offer superior performance, lower cost and greater scalability versus using these materials alone or combining them using traditional methods. Applications include the decarbonization of concrete, transparent conductors, flexible printed electronics, rechargeable batteries, and automotive tires. For more information, please visit http://www.CHASMtek.com.

Gradiant, a global solutions provider and developer for cleantech water, was named 7th in the world in the Real Leaders ECO Innovation Awards 2022 for companies creating positive environmental impact and received a Great Place to Work award for its Singapore regional headquarters and Global Technology Labs.

“Our awards from Real Leaders and Great Place to Work are a testament to the innovation culture and sustainability impact of Gradiant”

“Our awards from Real Leaders and Great Place to Work are a testament to the innovation culture and sustainability impact of Gradiant,” said Anurag Bajpayee, Co-Founder and CEO of Gradiant. “The culture of Gradiant is inspiring, and I couldn’t be prouder of our team for achieving this international recognition. This status reaffirms our position as an employer of choice, creating differentiation and a positive work experience for our teams across the world. We look forward to furthering our workplace culture and employee experience efforts using the data from the Great Place to Work survey.”

The Real Leaders ECO Innovation award honors companies applying innovative environmental solutions for the greater good. It is an annual global ranking of companies that drive environmental impact in all major sectors of the economy. Gradiant ranked 7th in the world for its proprietary Carrier Gas Extraction (CGE) technology that was used to deliver sustainable water solutions for a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical brand owner in Singapore. Gradiant’s CGE process effectively mimics the rain cycle to treat industrial wastewater using thermodynamic processes and resulted in a 96% water recovery rate and up to 30% capital expenditures and 40% operating cost savings compared to competitor technologies.

Gradiant Singapore was named a Great Place to Work for 2022 to 2023, chosen from anonymous employee surveys. Great Place to Work is an independent research and consulting firm, and its certification process considers more than 60 elements of the overall job experience. Eighty percent (80%) of employees at Gradiant say it’s a great place to work, compared to only 53% of employees at a typical Global company. Eighty-eight percent (88%) of employees said they felt a sense of pride in their work, and 86% believe management is honest and ethical in its business practices.

“Our company was built with the purpose of solving the world’s most important water challenges,” said Prakash Govindan, Co-Founder and COO of Gradiant. “Singapore is our regional headquarters and home to our Global Technology Labs, a one-of-its-kind in the industry where our engineers rapidly translate innovations from bench-scale to commercialization. We are honored to have our innovation culture recognized in these awards and remain committed to fostering a work environment in which team members partner with our customers to do the best work of their lives. Thriving employees increase business performance and create market-leading customer experiences.”

Gradiant, a 2022 “Water Technology Company of the Year” by Global Water Intelligence, is growing its teams throughout its global offices. Open positions may be found at Gradiant’s Careers page.

Factorial Energy (Factorial), an industry leader in the development of solid-state battery technology for electric vehicle (EV) applications, today announced it will establish a new advanced manufacturing facility in the Boston suburb of Methuen, Mass. The new facility will produce Factorial’s innovative new solid-state battery cell technology for EVs. A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at the site in Methuen at 3:00 pm EDT today.

The new production site at 501 Griffin Brook Drive in Methuen was recently secured by Factorial with the support of the Massachusetts Office of Business Development and the City of Methuen’s Economic and Community Development Department. The existing 67,000 square-foot building on the site will undergo extensive buildout to house Factorial’s pilot production facility, which will manufacture automotive-sized solid-state batteries at pre-production speed and volume. Factorial will invest $45 million in the facility, which is expected to begin operations in early 2023 and will bring 166 new jobs to the Methuen community.

Based in Woburn, Mass., Factorial is developing the next generation of electric mobility technology. The company is currently working with automakers Hyundai Motor Company, Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis to develop safer and higher performance solid-state EV battery cells for future passenger and commercial vehicles.

“The collaboration between Factorial, the City of Methuen and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has been extremely helpful and productive,” said Siyu Huang, CEO of Factorial. “Our relationship is a true partnership between our company and our community. We plan to continue building solid-state EV battery research and development facilities in New England and establish the region as a hub for electric mobility technology.”

“Factorial Energy is an excellent example of an innovative company choosing to build its business and provide high-skilled jobs here in Methuen,” said Mayor Neil Perry, City of Methuen. “We are excited to help Factorial start its new operations in Methuen, and we’re honored to support the growth of this future-focused company. This is an excellent example of local and state government working hand in hand with private enterprise to craft a solution beneficial to all.”

“We are thrilled to see Factorial Energy expanding operations in its home state,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy. “Massachusetts remains a leader in innovation, and as the electric mobility industry grows, this new advanced manufacturing facility in the Gateway City of Methuen will play an important role delivering the solid-state batteries that will power our transition to clean energy while creating jobs here in the Commonwealth.”

Intellihot, a clean technology manufacturer that creates innovative, sustainable solutions for the built environment, today announced that the company’s founder and CEO, Sridhar Deivasigamani, will deliver the keynote address to an Entrepreneur Workshop at The Clean Energy Test Beds at Washington University in Seattle, Wash., on August 9.

The Clean Energy Entrepreneur Workshop is designed to bring together entrepreneurs, investors, university faculty, researchers, and students working on clean energy technologies, with industry members, think tanks, and investment groups from across the Western U.S. The Workshop is a program of the Clean Energy Institute (CEI), whose goal is to accelerate the adoption of a scalable and equitable clean energy future that will improve the health and economy of the State of Washington, the nation, and the world.

“Clean Energy Institute’s efforts in advancing next-generation solar energy, battery materials and devices, and helping to bring them to market, are inspiring,” said Mr. Deivasigamani. “Intellihot’s work in clean energy and sustainability for the built environment is a shared vision with CEI, and I look forward to presenting my insights.”

With Mr. Deivasigamani other event participants include Professor Dan Schwartz, director of UW’s Clean Energy Institute and Professor Devin MacKenzie, technical director of the Washington Clean Energy Testbeds. Three sessions of talks will cover cleantech business resources, hot trends in climate tech innovation, and the entrepreneur experience.