CO2 to MeOH My: Startups Collaborating on Carbon Recirculation to Create Industrial Hydrogen
A circular carbon-to-green chemical company which started with research at Yale University is now working to commercialize its CO2-to-methanol application.
Oxylus Energy will work with hydrogen fuel cell solutions firm Element 1 Corp. to explore the use of the former’s green methanol as a feedstock for green hydrogen production. Hydrogen is a light, energy-dense gas which contains no carbon in its molecular chain, but producing it without carbon impacts is challenging.
Originally known as Carbon Loop at Yale, Oxylus Energy is working on “carbon recirculation,” or taking CO2 emissions and using its form of electrolysis to convert the carbon into green chemicals such as methanol (formula known as MeOH). The latter, like ammonia, is a low-carbon energy resource which can used in shipping and other industries.
By integrating Oxylus’ carbon recirculation to methanol with Element 1’s hydrogen generation, the two companies say they aim to create a scalable, low-carbon energy solution for applications where grid independence, flexibility, and emissions reduction are critical.
"Our vision at Oxylus Energy is to create a circular economy for carbon dioxide," CEO Perry Bakas said in a statement. "By working with Element 1, we are exploring a high-impact opportunity to transform industrial CO₂ emissions into a clean hydrogen supply chain."
If and when Oxylus and Element 1 validate the research, the partnership could provide industrial customers with an efficient way of repurposing CO2 into methanol and into useful hydrogen. Hydrogen can be a fuel for power generation and feedstock in petrochemical production and low-emission fuel-cell transportation.
“By using methanol made from recycled CO₂, the commercially-deployed methanol-to-hydrogen products offered by Element 1 provide immediate benefit in emissions reduction—not only with respect to reducing GHG, but also eliminating other harmful engine pollutants including PM (particulate matter), Nox (nitrogen oxide), and Sox (sulfur oxide),” Bakas said.
Last year, the World Economic Forum named Oxylus Energy as top innovator in its Carbon Capture and Utilization Challenge.
In 2021, a $100 million gift from FedEx helped fund Yale University’s new Center for Natural Carbon Capture.
