Energy per kg of CO₂
Target: from 4.9 kWh to 2.45 kWh
Technology
From ambient air to almost pure CO₂
Our prototype combines two technologies developed in EPFL labs since 2017, in two modules that can work together or separately.
Module 1
Astérix: adsorption
Air flows through beds of adsorbent material that trap CO₂ molecules. When the beds are heated, they release the CO₂, producing a flow concentrated from about 400 ppm in ambient air to around 1%.
Module 2
Idéfix: graphene membranes
Idéfix filters the flow through graphene membranes only one atom thick, which separate the gas molecule by molecule and bring CO₂ purity up to 95%, ready for storage or reuse.
Idéfix is modular: it can also be installed on its own at a factory outlet. The graphene membranes are being industrialised by the EPFL start-up Divea.
Our goals
Halving energy use and cost
These are the targets we are working towards for the next generation of the prototype.
Capital cost of a unit
Target: from CHF 15,000 to CHF 7,500