A startup is not only looking to take down one of the world’s leaders the worst pollutants of the atmosphere, but let’s immediately transform it into fuel to power cargo ships.

TechCrunch has the scoop about Aerleum, a company founded in 2023 by venture capitalist Sébastien Fiedorow and scientist Steven Bardey. The duo seeks to innovate direct air capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide.

Currently, most of DAC’s efforts focus on the challenges of removing carbon using large sponges, according to TechCrunch. The process is expensive and difficult. As harmful as the pollutant is, it only makes up 0.04% of the air we breathe. What to do with it after capturing it is also complicated.

It could be sold to oil companies who would put it back into the tanks, which mitigates the benefits carbon removal. Another option is to sell it to sequestration startups, who will put it back into the ground. Another potential buyer is chemical companies, which transport it for processing.

Bardey and Fiedorow studied the available options and saw an area ripe for a solution. The couple formed Aerleum to cut out the middleman.

“Should we really have to go through all of these steps, or can we just bypass some of them? » Fiedorow asked TechCrunch while explaining their thoughts. Instead of sending the carbon dioxide to someone else, Aerleum does the work.

They use a proprietary material to absorb carbon and then convert it into another compound. The current objective is a alcoholmethanol. Cargo ships can travel on it, and it can also be an ingredient in aviation fuel and other concoctions.

The process is simple, with their proprietary carbon-capturing sponge in a box. They close the box once the sponge is full. Hydrogen gas is then injected, which produces methanol after the chemical reaction. To complete the process, they purify the methanol and extract it.

Zooming out, the DAC presents an exciting opportunity to tackle the worrying amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The pollutant increased some 20% over the past 40 years, according to government reports.

This push contributes to dangerous warming of the warming planet our oceansAnd exacerbates extreme weather conditions events like Hurricane Helene. During the transition to green energy and move away from dirty energy is a big step, carbon capture will also be a key tool to combat worrying trends.

That’s why it’s exciting to see the innovation in DAC from scientistslarge companies like GEand smaller startups like Aerleum or Avnos.

Aerleum’s efficiency is to be commended in reducing transportation waste and simplifying the DAC process. The company now aims to produce methanol at less than $1,200 per metric ton. It is below the current location-dependent rates from $380 to $780 per metric ton.

Fiedorow is confident that Aerleum can enter the mix in five years with an offer of $650 per metric ton.

“This is where we start to be extremely competitive, even with fossil fuels,” he said. told TechCrunch.

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