
Skyrenu Technologies, a Sherbrooke-based company, has been selected among the 20 finalists who could win a grand prize of $50 million, as part of the XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition, funded by the Musk Foundation.
Source of the article
Isabelle Pion | La Tribune
The young company from the University of Sherbrooke is proposing a modular capture system to trap carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the atmosphere.
The material used acts as a selective sponge for CO2, explains Martin Brouillette, Skyrenu's chief technology officer and professor at the University of Sherbrooke.
"The material retains the CO2. When it is saturated, we take this sponge and send it to another region of the device where we expose it to steam to heat it and that releases the CO2. We then collect the CO2," explains Mr. Brouillette.
Skyrenu also has a capture system for mining and industrial residues to sequester carbon dioxide.
The Sherbrooke company is collaborating with institutions in Thetford Mines to use asbestos mining waste. The project also serves to rehabilitate the sites.
In Quebec, there are 800 million tonnes of asbestos mining residues available, according to Mr. Brouillette.
In 2021, the team won $250, thanks to winning one of the XPRIZE Carbon Removal Student Awards.
It’s a great story because it’s what enabled the development of technology at the University of Sherbrooke.
This time, the team takes an important step forward.
For the final phase of the competition, participants had to "demonstrate operational maturity", as well as the potential to reach the scale of one million and one billion tonnes of CO2 in the next year, while taking into account the environmental and social impacts of their solutions.
Carbon capture must be done simultaneously with emissions reduction, notes Mr. Brouillette, when discussing certain concerns that have been raised in the media on this subject.
"Even if we reduced our emissions according to what is required by the Paris Agreement, it is not enough to limit the increase in temperatures. The Paris Agreement also requires removing CO2, which is already in the atmosphere. This is where carbon capture comes into play, like many other methods […] We do not see it as a miracle cure."
This international treaty, adopted in 2015, aims in particular to limit the increase in temperature to 1,5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
The winners of the competition will be announced in 2025. It will last four years and offers nearly 100 million in prizes, including 50 million to the winner.
See the original article: https://www.latribune.ca/actualites/actualites-locales/sherbrooke/2024/05/09/une-entreprise-sherbrookoise-en-lice-pour-un-prix-de-50-millions-R3Z7KD3KFJEI5OLJNSQCVM3FCE/