Noya Labs: Transforming Cooling Towers into CO2 Capture Devices

A Novel Approach to Carbon Capture: Noya Labs and Industrial Cooling Towers

The founders of Noya Labs have experienced a rather unique situation – frequent visits from the local bomb squad. This stemmed from their innovative work aiming to transform approximately 2 million industrial cooling towers across the United States into effective tools for combating global climate change by capturing CO2.

Early Development and Unexpected Attention

When Josh Santos and Daniel Cavero initially began developing prototypes of their devices, intended for attachment to water coolers, they followed a common startup path: building in their backyard.

However, the unusual setup – a 55-gallon drum and a refrigeration tank in a sous vide bath connected by red and blue cables – understandably raised concerns with neighbors, leading to multiple visits from the bomb squad, as recounted by Santos, the company’s chief executive.

“We successfully demonstrated CO2 capture, achieving something most startups only dream of,” Santos remarked, referencing the unusual attention from authorities.

Inspiration and Initial Concepts

The impetus for their direct air capture experiments originated from an article Santos read in 2019 while commuting on Caltrain. The article detailed research on the diminishing capacity of plants to absorb carbon dioxide.

This sparked a collaborative effort between Santos and his roommate to explore the possibilities of carbon chemistry.

Their initial concept involved a consumer air purifier designed to extract CO2 from homes, allowing homeowners to sell the captured gas back to the company for resale.

Pivoting to Industrial Cooling Towers

The founders quickly determined that this initial business model lacked economic viability, prompting a shift in focus.

They discovered a more promising application within industrial cooling towers, where their technology could transform these structures into CO2-capturing systems capable of removing between half a ton and a full ton of carbon dioxide daily.

How Noya’s Technology Functions

Noya’s system involves introducing a specialized blend of CO2-absorbing chemicals into the water circulating within cooling towers.

An attachment is then added to the tower to initiate a regeneration process, converting the captured CO2 back into a gaseous state.

The company intends to resell the captured CO2 to industries that utilize it as a raw material.

A Stepping Stone to Full Sequestration

Currently, the process recirculates CO2 rather than permanently sequestering it, but Santos emphasizes that it represents an improvement over existing sources, such as ammonia and ethanol plants.

“Our long-term goal, within five years, is to integrate carbon capture and sequestration fully. This initial step allows us to refine our capture technology while preparing for broader market implementation,” Santos explained.

He likened their strategy to the “Tesla roadster approach,” building capital and validating the technology incrementally.

Pilot Program and Investment

Noya Labs is currently developing a pilot plant in collaboration with the Alexandre Family Farm, aiming to achieve the targeted CO2 capture rate of half to one ton per day.

To fund the pilot program and expand their team, the company has secured $1.2 million in funding from Fifty Years, a frontier tech investment firm, and Lowercarbon Capital.

Significant Potential for CO2 Capture

“Considering the presence of 2 million cooling towers in the U.S. alone, even a conservative estimate of 1 ton of capture per day per plant translates to over half a gigaton of CO2 capture potential,” Santos stated.

Demand for Captured CO2 is Growing

Numerous companies are already expressing interest in purchasing the CO2 that Noya intends to sell.

A growing number of startups are utilizing CO2 as a feedstock for various products, ranging from synthetic diamonds (Aether Diamonds) to synthetic fuels (Dimensional Energy, Prometheus Fuels) and petrochemical replacements (Opus12).

Competitive Pricing and Economic Viability

Commercial CO2 prices currently range from $125 to $5,000 per ton, while Noya aims to produce CO2 at a cost of less than $100 per ton.

Existing Direct Air Capture companies typically sell their CO2 for between $600 and $700 per ton.

The initial installation cost for Noya’s system is estimated at around $250,000.

Passing the “Mr. Burns Test”

For Seth Bannon, a partner at Fifty Years, this cost structure signifies a crucial breakthrough.

“We’ve been evaluating the DAC space, but haven’t been satisfied with the techno-economics. Previous approaches have been capital-intensive and lacked sufficient revenue potential,” Bannon explained. “Noya has addressed this by leveraging existing infrastructure, creating a profitable model. Importantly, they generate revenue for their partners, facilitating rapid scaling. This presents an opportunity to profitably remove over 1 gigaton of CO2 annually.”