Spiritus | Spiritus Launches: Sets Stage for Economical Carbon Removal at Less than $100 per Ton

Spiritus Launches: Sets Stage for Economical Carbon Removal at Less than $100 per Ton

Faster Adsorption, Reduced Cost Sorbent, Less Energy Input: A Transformative Solution Backed by Khosla Ventures

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SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Spiritus, an innovative climate tech company, has emerged from stealth mode with a breakthrough in Direct-Air-Capture (DAC) technology. The company's approach demonstrates dramatically improved fundamentals, leading to reduced costs that move the industry closer to achieving carbon removal at <$100 per ton. Spiritus has raised $11 million in a funding round led by Khosla Ventures and other investors, including Page One Ventures, to develop and scale the technology further.

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Spiritus' solution, using high-quality Direct Air Capture + Sequestration (DAC + S) methods, achieves rapid sorption and desorption rates at a fraction of the sorbent cost versus state-of-the-art sorbents under passive DAC conditions. Furthermore, Spiritus has innovated on a novel non-TVSA desorption process that cuts energy usage by more than half when compared to current methods, which makes Spiritus' approach to DAC+S a high-quality, lower-cost option than other carbon removal solutions and offsets.

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Together, these components lead to a scalable cost of less than $100 per ton removed, a milestone...

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"Khosla Ventures has been looking closely at the direct air capture space for years," said Jessy Rivest, partner at Khosla Ventures. "In Spiritus, we have a combination of a strong approach and team to solve this climate challenge, making it our first investment in the DAC area."

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The Spiritus solution leverages the unique properties of the Spiritus Sorbent and a novel desorption process to create the Spiritus Carbon Orchard. The Spiritus Carbon Orchard uses passive air contacting, without needing energy-intensive fans, to bind CO2 to the sorbent, allowing for energy-efficient capture with a modular, scalable design for directly capturing CO2 from the air. The Spiritus Carbon Orchard circulates the Spiritus Sorbent between passive air contacting and the novel non-TVSA desorption system to remove the CO2. Aligned with the future of sustainable energy production, the Carbon Orchard operates on renewable energy sources.

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"The climate crisis is affecting every aspect of our lives, from the fires raging across our nation to the record temperatures we're experiencing," said Charles Cadieu, CEO and co-founder of Spiritus. "Our unique combination of the Spiritus Sorbent and our Carbon Orchard has allowed us to get closer to an industry milestone: making DAC a practical and affordable solution for carbon removal. By achieving a scalable cost that aligns with what the world needs, we can enable countries, companies, and individuals to create a carbon-neutral future. It's a game-changing moment for our planet."

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With Spiritus combining a novel sorbent, unprecedented desorption solutions and a scalable modular system, the company is launching to optimize key parameters and prove it can achieve low-cost DAC+S. Together, these components lead to a scalable cost of less than $100 per ton removed, a milestone that has been the biggest enduring challenge in the industry.

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Spiritus has formed a number of strong partnerships with companies looking to address direct air capture challenges and looks forward to announcing them soon.

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About Spiritus

Spiritus is a climate tech company at the forefront of Direct-Air-Capture (DAC) technology. With a dedication to innovation and sustainable stewardship of our environment, Spiritus has crafted a unique solution that achieves rapid sorption and desorption rates at a fraction of the sorbent cost versus state-of-the-art sorbents under passive DAC conditions. The company's approach combines the Spiritus Sorbent and the Spiritus Carbon Orchard, offering a scalable and modular system for low-cost DAC and sequestration (DAC+S). Spiritus is committed to making carbon removal an accessible and practical tool in the global fight against climate change. For more information, visit Spiritus.com.

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Media Contact

spiritus@consortpartners.com

Rewind.earth

Biomass carbon removal and storage

Tel Aviv, Israel

R&D

Rewind.earth uses cranes off of boats to sink agricultural and forest residues to the oxygenless bottom of the Black Sea, the largest anoxic body of water on Earth. Oxygenless water dramatically slows biomass decomposition. The lack of living organisms in the Black Sea limits any potential ecosystem risks. This process allows for affordable and environmentally safe carbon removal.

Carboniferous

Biomass carbon removal and storage

Houston, TX, US

R&D

Carboniferous sinks bundles of leftover sugarcane fiber and corn stover into deep, salty, oxygenless basins in the Gulf of Mexico. The lack of oxygen in these environments–and therefore absence of animals and most microbes–slows the breakdown of biomass so it is efficiently preserved and stored durably in ocean sediments. The team will conduct experiments to determine the functional stability of sunken biomass as well as the interaction with ocean biogeochemistry.

Vycarb

Ocean alkalinity enhancement

Brooklyn, NY, US

58 tons

Vycarb uses a reactor to add limestone alkalinity to coastal ocean water, resulting in the drawdown and storage of atmospheric CO₂. Their dissolution system has a novel sensing apparatus that base tests water, dissolves calcium carbonate, and doses alkalinity into the water at a controlled amount safe for dispersion. Their closed system makes it easier to measure the amount of dissolved alkalinity added and CO₂ removed.

Arbon

Direct air capture

New York, NY, US

173 tons

Arbon uses a 'humidity-swing' process to capture CO₂ from the air. The sorbent binds CO₂ when dry and releases it when wet. This process uses less energy than approaches that rely on changing temperature and pressure to release CO₂. The sorbent’s ability to bind CO₂ has been shown to remain stable over thousands of cycles. Both of these innovations could reduce the cost of DAC.

Vaulted

Biomass carbon removal and storage

Houston, TX, US

1,666 tons

Vaulted injects organic waste into durable wells, where the carbon in the waste is sequestered as it decomposes. Using a specialized slurry injection technology, their process can handle a wide range of organic carbon sources with minimal energy and upfront processing. Their system has the potential to be deployed quickly at large scales.

Spiritus

Direct air capture

Los Alamos, NM

713 tons

Spiritus uses a sorbent made from commercially-available materials and a passive air contactor that requires little energy to capture CO₂. The CO₂-saturated sorbent is then regenerated using a novel desorption process, capturing the CO₂ and allowing the sorbent to be reused with less energy than a higher-heat vacuum chamber typically used in direct air capture approaches. The high-performance, inexpensive sorbent and lower regeneration energy provide a path to low cost.

Planetary

Ocean alkalinity enhancement

Nova Scotia, Canada

937 tons

Planetary harnesses the ocean for scalable removal. They introduce alkaline materials to existing ocean outfalls like wastewater plants and power station cooling loops. This speeds up the sequestration of CO₂ safely and permanently as bicarbonate ions in the ocean. Planetary then verifies the removal through advanced measurement and modeling techniques.

Mati

Enhanced weathering

US and India

1,513 tons

Mati applies silicate rock powders to agricultural fields, starting with rice paddy farms in India. These rocks react with water and CO₂ to produce dissolved inorganic carbon that is subsequently stored in the local watershed and eventually in the ocean. Mati relies on rice field flooding and higher subtropical temperatures to accelerate weathering, and extensive sampling and soil and river modeling to measure removal and deliver co-benefits to smallholder farmers.

Holocene

Direct air capture

Knoxville, TN, US

332 tons

Holocene captures CO₂ from air using organic molecules that can be produced at low cost. In the first step of their process, CO₂ is captured from air when it comes into contact with a liquid solution. In the second step, a chemical reaction crystallizes the material as a solid. That solid is heated up to release the CO₂, minimizing energy wasted in heating water. Holocene’s process runs at lower temperatures, further reducing the energy required, increasing energy flexibility, and lowering overall cost.

EDAC Labs

Enhanced weathering

Baltimore, MD, US

317 tons

EDAC Labs uses an electrochemical process to produce acid and base. The acid is used to start the recovery of valuable metals from mining waste, and the base is used to capture CO₂ from air. The acid and base streams are then combined to produce metals that can be sold for applications such as batteries, and solid carbonates, which permanently store CO₂.

CarbonRun

Ocean alkalinity enhancement

Nova Scotia, CA

1,291 tons

CarbonRun enhances the natural ability of river currents to weather abundant, low-cost limestone and reduce river acidity levels. This benefits river ecosystems locally and enhances the rivers’ ability to capture CO₂ from the atmosphere. Rivers, which are natural carbon transport systems, then deliver CO₂ to the ocean for permanent storage in the form of bicarbonate.

CarbonBlue

Direct ocean removal

Haifa, Israel

400 tons

CarbonBlue uses calcium in a closed-loop cycle to mineralize, separate, and remove dissolved CO₂ from water. This results in a pure stream of CO₂ that can be durably sequestered. Their approach can operate in freshwater or saltwater and can rely on waste heat for the regeneration process. The team plans to integrate with desalination plants and other water-withdrawing industries, reducing energy usage and costs.

Carbon Atlantis

Direct air capture

Munich, Germany

275 tons

Carbon Atlantis is using a process known as electrochemical pH-swing. Their system uses a solvent to capture CO₂ and an acid to release it. This approach is inspired by recent innovation in Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cells and electrolyzers, making the process both cost-effective and energy-efficient. The CO₂ is then run through

Banyu Carbon

Direct ocean removal

Seattle, WA, US

360 tons

Banyu Carbon uses sunlight to capture CO₂ from seawater. A reusable, light-activated molecule that becomes acidic when exposed to light causes carbon dissolved in seawater to degas as CO₂, which is then stored permanently. Because only a small portion of the visible light spectrum is needed to trigger the reaction, this is a highly energy-efficient approach to direct ocean removal.

Alkali Earth

Enhanced weathering

Northfield, MN, US

1,351 tons

Alkali Earth uses alkaline byproducts from industrial processes as carbon-removing gravel to apply to roads. These minerals act as a sink for atmospheric CO₂, storing it permanently while cementing road surfaces. The formation of CO₂-containing minerals within the gravel can be directly measured, leading to high-confidence in resulting removals.

Airhive

Direct air capture

London, UK

943 tons

Airhive is building a geochemical direct air capture system using a sorbent that can be made out of cheap and abundant minerals. This sorbent reacts rapidly with atmospheric CO₂ when mixed with air in Airhive’s fluidized bed reactor. Coupled with a regeneration process that’s powered by electricity to release the CO₂ for geologic storage, this provides a promising approach to low-cost DAC.