Innovation

The core of Global Thermostat's innovation lies in its revolutionary approach to capturing CO2 from the atmosphere. As Nicholas Eisenberger (Head of Market Development, Policy & Engagement), explains, "CO2 in the air is incredibly dilute, with only about 400 parts per million." This presents a significant challenge because a substantial amount of air must be processed to capture a meaningful amount of CO2. Global Thermostat's solution involves designing a process that exposes air to a surface coated with a highly effective CO2-absorbing material. High-efficiency industrial fans are used to draw air through the system, and the air passes through contactors coated with an absorbent chemical, specifically an amine, that binds with CO2 molecules rapidly.

The innovative aspect of this technology is not only the choice of absorbent material but also the use of high-surface-area honeycomb monoliths within the contactors. These honeycombs provide a large amount of surface area for interaction with CO2 molecules despite the rapid flow of air. This design allows the absorbent material to efficiently capture CO2 from the passing air. This process is intriguing because of its similarity to a sponge's ability to absorb water.

The regeneration process is another key element of the innovation. Once the contactors become saturated, they are recharged by exposing them to low-temperature heat (around 80 to 100 degrees Celsius). This process naturally drives CO2 off the contactors' surface, and the collected CO2 can be reused or stored. To maintain continuous operation, Global Thermostat utilizes a rotating carousel system, allowing multiple contactors to capture CO2 while one is being regenerated.

The scale of Global Thermostat's innovation is impressive. The company's largest commercial-scale machine (largest in the United States and second in the world), known as the K series, is capable of capturing approximately 1,000 tons of CO2. Although it's one of the biggest ever made in the world, it is tiny compared to the nature of the challenge. To combat global warming effectively, we need to remove billions of tons of CO2 from the atmosphere annually, in addition to reducing the ongoing emissions. Dr. Chichilnisky, Global Thermostat Co-Founder, emphasizes that the company's technology is a vital piece of the puzzle in addressing climate change, but the scale of action required is much larger. This underscores the significance of continued innovation and the pursuit of even more efficient and scalable solutions in the fight against climate change.

Global Thermostat's innovation is deeply rooted in a sense of mission and purpose – the urgent need to combat climate change and its potentially catastrophic consequences. The innovation's relevance to this mission is evident, as it offers a practical and scalable solution for removing CO2 from the atmosphere, which contributes to the broader efforts to mitigate global warming and its associated impacts.

Inspiration

The inspiration for Global Thermostat’s direct air capture solutions was the growing issue of climate change related to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Through involvement in many environmental efforts, the Co-Founders of the company saw a need to both reduce the amount of CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere and strategies to extract it. With backgrounds in physics, material science, and mathematics, the founders began to explore ideas of how particles can interact with surfaces as efficiently as possible and how to efficiently use technology to remove CO2 from the air. This gave way to the core ideas behind Global Thermostat, which was then formed as a company in 2010. At the time, many thought that this innovation was unfeasible or even unnecessary, but Global Thermostat persisted with their efforts to do good for the planet.

It was not until 2018 that people started to see a need for direct air capture solutions. This was around the time the United Nations released its report on the need to limit global warming below 1.5 degree Celsius. As society started to see evidence of climate change in our daily lives, the urgency to reduce and remove CO2 from our atmosphere was beginning to become clearer. With rising levels of interest and common knowledge on the topic of climate change, Global Thermostat is now focused on deploying its innovation at scale to meet the challenge in the time we have.

Overall impact

Global Thermostat's direct air capture innovation has far-reaching impacts across business, society, and the environment. Introducing a groundbreaking technology that captures CO2 from the atmosphere, the company opens new horizons for the commercial industry. This innovation not only provides a solution for climate change but also offers potential applications in producing CO2 for various products. Societally, it plays a pivotal role in combatting climate change by contributing to reducing greenhouse gases. Environmentally, it offers the possibility of mitigating the devastating impact of climate change. Short-term effects include establishing credibility and commercial viability, while the long-term implications are monumental, promising a substantial reduction in atmospheric CO2 levels. The interviewee highlights the overarching goal of a profitable, scalable, and impactful business that attracts investors, benefits society by addressing climate change at a global scale, and fosters a culture of continuous improvement and environmental responsibility. This facilitates the move toward cleaner and more sustainable practices across multiple sectors.

Overall, the impact of this innovation is multifaceted, encompassing environmental, economic, and technological domains and holding promise for a more sustainable future by actively combating the adverse effects of climate change.

Business benefit

Global Thermostat is responsible for making major changes in processes to achieve goals, especially in terms of reducing CO2 emissions from the atmosphere. There are two main methods for filtering CO2 or capturing air directly: liquid and solid systems. In the liquid system, the air passes through a chemical solution. In the solid system, the air passes through a honeycomb-like filter material with a depth of 115 meters to bind CO2. Companies like Microsoft are willing to pay around $508-$1000 million dollars to develop and build giant air filters, which is a business opportunity for Global Thermostat to further explore. The growing popularity of carbon removal technologies has brought a lot of attention and interest to the topic. As a result, Global Thermostat now receives $180 tax credits per tonne from the government to continue pursuing their carbon removal. These benefits enable Global Thermostat to continue achieving its desired goals over time and provide an overall positive impact on society.

Global Thermostat is a company that is still developing with around 50 employees with engineering and scientific backgrounds. The company began to gain recognition at the end of 2018 for its sophisticated technology. The company's largest commercial-scale machine (the largest in the United States and second in the world), known as the K series, has a major impact on its business reputation. In the same year, Global Thermostat attracted the attention of many companies that adhere to the principle of net zero, which has a positive impact on the company's financial sustainability.

Finally, the company's growth is driven by its ability to provide efficient carbon capture solutions. Global Thermostat is motivated to create the world's best direct air capture technology that attracts customers, investors, and capital, thereby ensuring the company's financial success while making a positive impact on the environment.

Social and environmental benefit

Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have been rising at a drastic rate over the past decades. This greenhouse gas is a major contributor to climate change, and the earth’s rising temperature has major consequences for our earth. These events can be detrimental to both society and the environment.

On a societal level, the impact of Global Thermostat's innovation is profound. As climate change continues to threaten the planet, technologies like direct air capture offer hope for a more sustainable future. The innovation contributes to society by offering a practical and scalable solution to one of the most pressing global challenges. By capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, Global Thermostat's technology can lead to cleaner air, improved environmental conditions, and a more sustainable future for the global community. The company's commitment to large-scale CO2 removal aligns with society's growing concern for climate action and net-zero goals.

The environmental impact is significant and multifaceted. Global Thermostat's innovation directly addresses the reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, a major contributor to global warming and climate change. By capturing CO2 from the air, the technology helps mitigate the greenhouse effect and lowers the concentration of CO2, leading to long-term cooling effects on the planet. Furthermore, the captured CO2 can be either stored underground or used in various applications, such as synthetic fuel production, carbon-neutral materials, and food production, hence reducing the emissions associated with the production of goods and energy. These environmental benefits contribute to sustainable practices and the overall health of the planet.

Therefore, since the core of their innovation involves capturing carbon directly from the atmosphere and effectively combating climate change by reducing CO2 levels, Global Thermostat relates to SDG 13: Climate Action. Moreover, the company’s efforts and technology focusing on large-scale direct air capture introduces a new aspect to industrial and infrastructural design, particularly by integrating a novel approach to combatting climate change. Therefore, the innovation relates to SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure.

In synthesis, it is the cycle of benefits for society, for the environment, and for businesses that motivates Global Thermostat to continue improving their product for the better of the world.

Interview

Nicholas Moore Eisenberger, Head of Market Development, Policy & Engagement

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