Exxon Mobil and Global Thermostat have expanded their joint development agreement on Sept. 21 following 12 months of technical evaluation to determine the feasibility and potential scalability of Global Thermostat’s technology that captures carbon dioxide (CO2) directly from the air.
“Exxon Mobil’s scientists continue to research technology options aimed at reducing emissions at scale, which are key to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement,” Vijay Swarup, vice president of research and development for Exxon Mobil Research and Engineering Company, said. “Our work with Global Thermostat has shown promising signs in the development of direct air capture technologies that could be brought to scale. We look forward to seeing how new materials might accelerate this potential, while also continuing our research that captures CO2 from power generation facilities.”
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change has said that CO2 capture, use and storage is a key technology for the decarbonization of the energy sector in the long term. In addition, the International Energy Agency recognizes that CO2 removal is expected to play a key role in the energy transition.
Global Thermostat’s CO2 capture uses proprietary amine-based adsorbents to remove CO2 from the air. These compounds act together like a filter to efficiently capture CO2, which can then be stored safely underground, used to make chemicals, consumer products or construction materials.
Exxon Mobil has a strong network of research partnerships across universities and national labs. As a part of the joint development agreement with Global Thermostat, Exxon Mobil will leverage this network and engage the expertise of university partners that have strong expertise in material science and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Labs that offer expertise in CO2 capture and utilization. Global Thermostat will also engage its network of universities and industrial partners to help scale its technology.
The original agreement with Global Thermostat was signed in 2019.
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