L.A.-based carbon capture startup Avnos signed strategic investment deals worth over $80 million with big oil companies, Shell and ConocoPhillips, and JetBlue to ramp up commercialization of its novel Hybrid Direct Air Capture (HDAC) technology. 

Founded in 2020, Avnos focuses on developing and deploying scalable, flexible, and cost-effective technology in the DAC market. 

The company has been awarded multi-million-dollar projects from the U.S. Department of Energy to demonstrate its HDAC solution. It also got awards from the U.S. Office of Naval Research to pilot carbon capture and e-fuel production.

Avnos’ Hybrid DAC Technology is a “Twofer”

Global greenhouse gas emissions hit record high in 2021 and projection shows the figures will continue to increase without rapid climate actions done. This year’s record-breaking wildfires, storms, floods, and heat events are the proofs. 

To prevent those disasters from getting worse, reducing carbon emissions and removing what’s already in the air are critical. Climate experts highlighted the need for billions of tons of annual CO2 removal (CDR) capacity to significantly reduce emissions.

That gave rise to the birth of different startups with the aim to remove carbon dioxide. Popular existing DAC companies include Climeworks, Global Thermostat, Charm Industrial, and Equatic among others. They’re taking different approaches to directly removing CO2 from the air and water. 

But what Avnos is offering to the market is unique and innovative: capturing carbon and producing water anywhere there’s air. 

The carbon capture company said that its novel HDAC tech is a “twofer” for tackling the climate crises. Its pioneering moisture-responsive carbon adsorbent tech directly sucks in CO2 from the air and produces water as a byproduct. 

In a sense, it’s addressing global warming and water scarcity. Plus, it doesn’t use heat as an input but employs a moisture swing adsorbent instead, which significantly lowers energy consumption. 

In comparison, existing DAC approaches consume large quantities of water while Avnos HDAC produces water. The water byproduct is then used to drive the company’s carbon capture operations. 

According to the startup, its HDAC performs best in four major areas versus other DAC systems in place. These include total energy use, thermal energy use, water consumption/production, and costs. The video shows how Avnos hybrid direct air capture technology works.

Last week, a similar carbon capture technology by another California-based startup, Capture6, secured a grant of over $8 million from the California Energy Commission. The company also produces freshwater in removing carbon but uses brine, a byproduct of water treatment facilities, to produce a solvent that captures CO2.

Removing Carbon and Selling Credits

Avnos HDAC system uses modules about the size of a 20-foot shipping container. It pulls in air and runs it in a series of filters and condensed water is then collected, pumped out, and stored. The captured carbon goes into the storage tank. 

The company said there’s a 5-to-1 ratio of water produced for each ton of captured CO2. This water may create more revenue streams for Avnos while the big oil backers can convert the CO2 into e-fuels. 

The $80+ million investment is a huge bet on engineered or technological solutions for mitigating climate change. 

ConocoPhillips finds Avnos carbon capture technology a promising solution that “reduces carbon emissions crucial to enable an orderly energy transition”. 

What captures Shell Ventures’ interest is the “potential of Avnos’ technology to reduce energy demand in capturing CO2”. JetBlue believes that the HDAC system plays an important role in e-fuels production. 

Remarking on their strategic partnerships, Will Kain, CEO of Avnos, said:

“Adding blue-chip strategic partners such as ConocoPhillips, JetBlue Ventures, and Shell provides us with an incredible opportunity to access more resources, know-how, and global reach to meaningfully accelerate our deployment schedule. Ultimately, we will be able to remove more atmospheric carbon, faster, and at lower costs than we would have been able to on our own.”

The amount of carbon removed by Avnos generates corresponding carbon credits that it can use to offset its own emissions. Each credit equals one tonne of carbon removal. Or the startup can turn it into an income source by selling them to other companies looking for carbon offsets. 

A pilot version of the Avnos HDAC facility will open later this year in Bakersfield, California. It can remove 30 tons of CO2 a year and produce 150 tons of water. 

A bigger, commercial-grade system can increase this capacity by 100x – 300 tons of carbon and 1,500 tons of water. The modules are stackable to increase the capacity even more but would need larger renewable power installations. 

Avnos will use the funding to supply commercial-ready HDAC systems by the end of 2025. 

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Mercedes-Benz announced that they sold 56,300 electric vehicles (EVs) in Q2, up 123% from the same quarter in previous year. This affirms the German luxury carmaker’s commitment to reducing its carbon emissions and bringing its new fleet to net zero across the value chain by 2039. 

Fully EVs now account for 11% of Mercedes-Benz overall sales year-to-date that’s also up by 6% in Q2. The sales were bolstered by strong demand for EVs particularly in Germany and the U.S.

Increasing this percentage is crucial for the company to continuously reduce and eliminate its carbon emissions.

Mercedes-Benz’s Carbon Footprint

The luxury carmaker has been accounting for its carbon emissions – Scope 1 and Scope 2 – in accordance with standard protocols. 

In 2022, Mercedes-Benz has the following carbon emissions, which don’t include Scope 3 accounting. The first table is for its entire operations while the second is specific CO2 emissions per vehicle type.

Total carbon footprint from energy use in 2022 is 663 tons (market-based), down by 42% compared to 2021 (1,148 tons). The same trend can be observed for the CO2 emissions specifically from each vehicle type shown below. Total pollution from cars was down by over 51% while emissions from vans also went down by 43%. 

The company’s goal is to cut by at least 50% the emissions per passenger car by the end of this decade, compared to 2020. The goal of cutting the carbon emissions of its new car fleet by 40% compared to 2018 in relation to the use phase (well-to-wheel) has been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

Mercedes-Benz Climate Pledge and Transform to Net Zero

The luxury car brand aims to go all electric by 2030 as part of its ambitious electrification and decarbonization goals. In detail, here are the company’s climate targets and its progress as of 2022.

Achieving these requires various means, including renewable energy, charging with green electricity, improving battery technology, among other emission elimination strategies.

The German automaker joined Amazon’s initiative “The Climate Pledge” aimed at contributing to meeting the Paris goals ten years earlier. In signing the agreement, Mercedes-Benz agrees to:

Measure and report GHG emissions regularly, 
Implement decarbonization strategies in line with the Paris Agreement, and
Invest in initiatives that compensate unavoidable emissions with real, additional, permanent, and quantifiable carbon offset credits. 

The carmaker joined the Amazon and Global Optimism climate pact in 2020, supporting it with its own decarbonization initiative – the Ambition 2039. This ambition means making the entire new vehicle fleet of the company carbon neutral across the value chain by 2039.

In the same year, Mercedes-Benz Vans and Amazon revealed the largest order by Amazon for EVs from the German carmaker. The giant retailer ordered over 1,800 battery-electric vehicles for use across Europe.  

About ⅕ of total GHG emissions in Europe are a result of transporting people and goods. The Stuttgart-based carmaker is taking actions to address this trend and integrate climate change mitigation into its core business strategy. 

Hence, Mercedes-Benz is also a founding member of “Transform to Net Zero“, a climate initiative of nine large companies and launched by Microsoft. Its goal is to pool the companies’ expertise to create positive conditions for a broader decarbonization of the economy and society.

Emphasizing the importance of this net zero transformation, the company’s COO Markus Schäfer said that:

“With Ambition 2039, we have marked out a way for Mercedes-Benz to bring our new car fleet to “net zero CO2” within less than 20 years – and not only in driving operations, but along the entire value chain. Starting in 2022, our passenger cars and vans will be produced CO2-neutrally in the more than 30 plants of Mercedes-Benz AG worldwide.”

Directly Sourcing Lithium for Sustainable Electrification 

One big part of turning those ambitions into reality is by securing high-quality lithium for EV battery production. Directly sourcing this mineral is vital for Mercedes-Benz to scale up its fully EV production. 

Lithium hydroxide is needed for the production of lithium-ion batteries used in the German carmaker’s EVs.

Last year, the automaker inked a supply deal with Canadian-German-start-up Rock Tech Lithium for the supply of battery-grade lithium hydroxide. The deal provides that both companies work together to create a roadmap to achieving carbon neutral lithium production by 2030. 

Their partnership was revealed after the signing of agreement between Mercedes-Benz AG and Canada to explore more cooperation across the automotive value chain, focusing on natural resources development. Responsibly mined and processed materials like lithium are key for achieving a sustainable electrification of Mercedes-Benz entire vehicle fleet.

The U.S. is also in desperate need of a massive supply of domestic lithium to get to net zero. American Lithium Corporation, which has two of the largest lithium deposits in the Americas, aims to fill in the huge gap in supply and demand for this critical mineral. 

And as demand for luxury electric vehicles continues to rise, so too is Mercedes-Benz’s need for more lithium. In choosing resource sourcing partners, the German automaker decides based on protection of human rights and the environment. 

Ultimately, Mercedes-Benz never stops working on finding ways to further cut down its CO₂ emissions as well as the amount of rare metals needed for each electric vehicle it manufactures. 

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When discussing the reduction of global carbon emissions, the focus often falls on heavy-emitting sectors, with glass-making frequently overlooked. However, the manufacturing of glass contributes approximately 86 million tonnes of carbon each year. A new type of glass, however, could halve these emissions and is ten times more resistant to damage.

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University have created LionGlass, a glass that’s much stronger and has lower emissions than conventional glass. The researchers had requested for patent approval as the first step in bringing the new glass to market. 

A New Approach to Glass Manufacturing with Lower Emissions

The glass industry is well-established, yet it is capital- and energy-intensive, heavily reliant on durable raw materials. Glass is a ubiquitous material, found in everyday items ranging from smartphones to cars, but its production requires extremely high temperatures.

The primary components used in glass production are quartz sand, soda ash, and limestone. The melting of soda ash and limestone releases CO2, a significant contributor to climate change. Limestone, in particular, is a major reason why the cement industry emits large amounts of carbon.

Glass production is both sand and energy-intensive. It contributes around 86 million tonnes of CO2 annually, a significant contribution to global warming.

For context, consider the energy use and carbon emissions of a glass bottle compared to other materials like cans and plastic.

Source: Han et al., (2020).

The majority of these emissions come from the energy required to heat furnaces to the high temperatures needed to melt glass.

A research team at Penn State University has introduced a new glass product that is 10 times more resistant to damage and emits about half the CO2 of the current manufacturing process using soda lime.

The lead researcher and professor at the University highlighted the importance of their discovery in making glass production sustainable, stating:

“During the glass melting process, the carbonates decompose into oxides and produce carbon dioxide, which gets released into the atmosphere… Our goal is to make glass manufacturing sustainable for the long term. LionGlass eliminates the use of carbon containing batch materials and significantly lowers the melting temperature of glass.”

With LionGlass, the melting temperatures are reduced to about 300°C to 400°C. This reduction decreases the amount of energy needed to process glass by about 30% compared to soda lime glass.

Thinner and Lighter, yet Unbreakable

The researchers also noted that they can reduce the glass thickness without compromising its strength, making the new product lighter than conventional glass.

This is even more environmentally friendly because less material means less energy is required to process and transport the glass.

Surprisingly, scientists discovered that LionGlass has much higher damage resistance, ten times more than soda lime glass. It can resist cracks even under a 1-kilo-force load of a diamond indenter machine. In comparison, conventional glass can crack under just 0.1 kilo of force.

Resistance to damage or cracking is a crucial quality of glass to ensure its longevity. Glass that is resistant to forming micro-cracks is highly valuable.

LionGlass also comes in various compositions, each offering unique properties and uses. However, the team is still studying how the glass would react to different chemical environments. Their findings will help them better understand how their new discovery can be used worldwide.

Importantly, with improved performance, glass can help address not just environmental issues but also healthcare and urban development. The team aims to make a significant contribution to these areas.

The U.S. glass industry is a global leader in glass production and technology. Many valuable industries rely on glass for various products, including solar equipment, vehicle parts, building materials, consumer electronics, and semiconductor devices.

LionGlass’ Potential Industrial Applications 

Given the impressive properties of the new glass, it offers a wide range of potential uses across industries.

For example, it could improve the efficiency of solar panels, which use a sheet of glass to protect their inner components against harsh elements. Lighter panels could lead to lower solar installation costs.

Car manufacturers could use LionGlass to create unbreakable glass roofs using lighter but stronger materials. This could reduce the cost of manufacturing electric vehicles as well as consumer devices made with glass.

This breakthrough is remarkable because it signifies the glass industry’s participation in the global race to reduce carbon emissions. New scientific discoveries can improve products and make them in a way that’s less damaging to the Earth. Lighter but stronger glass with reduced emissions is one such innovation.

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Samsung Electronics, the world’s biggest mobile phone maker, is almost a third through its goal to be net zero as it ramped up its sustainability efforts in 2022 and pledged more than $5 billion to decarbonize its consumer electronics operation.

The South Korean tech major achieves 31% in its transition to meet its target by 2030, up 11% from 2021. 

Samsung’s Carbon Emissions

Technology companies, which have a significant impact on people and economies, have also been one of the largest carbon emitters. The industry has a carbon emission of 2%-3% of global emissions in 2021, which is close to aviation’s footprint.

But the tech sector has been spending huge efforts in cutting down its carbon footprint, with major companies committed to slashing their carbon emissions and targeting net zero emissions. 

Among the major tech companies, Samsung has the biggest footprint of over 20 million metric tonnes (Mt) of CO2 equivalent in 2021. 

Samsung Electronics strongly rely on fossil fuels, which is significantly responsible for its carbon footprint. More than 80% of its power consumption is from non-renewable, fossil-fuel-based sources. Both its Scope 1 and 2 emissions for constructing manufacturing lines have been rising as shown below.

Another research by Electrics Hub further shows that the Seoul-based company emits more pollution than any other tech company. Its carbon footprint is equivalent to the emissions of 4.3 million cars on the road each year. 

According to the same report, Amazon, the world’s biggest e-commerce firm, came second with 16.2 million Mt of CO2. This makes the giant retailer the largest polluter among the “Big Five” tech companies, including Alphabet, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft. The four remaining companies emitted much lower CO2e compared to Samsung. 

They emitted 6.6 million, 1.0 million, 3.1 million, and 4.9 million Mt of CO2e, respectively. 

The tech industry has a crucial role to play in the world’s quest to net zero emissions by 2050. The major players, in particular, have a big influence in impacting the sector’s transition to a low-carbon future. 

Thus, the shift towards a climate-focused company means Samsung has a huge task to do. Its latest Sustainability Report outlines the ways in which the company has been tackling this matter. 

Samsung’s Net Zero Pledge and Strategy

Samsung has committed to net zero emissions by 2050, pledging over $5 billion to decarbonize its consumer electronics operation. 

Still, that target is 10-20 years later than Apple, Google, and Amazon. Apple aims to reach net zero by 2030, Google by 2030, and Amazon by 2040. 

Yet, Samsung has set various ambitious goals as part of its net zero strategy. Highlighting its commitment to sustainability, Jong-hee Han, chief executive and vice chairman of Samsung noted in its report:

“Growing environmental and socio-economic risks coupled with geopolitical uncertainties have reinforced our belief that sustainability needs to be a key force for driving our competitiveness and technological innovation… We aim to mitigate carbon emissions by using our innovative technologies and maximising resource circularity across the life cycle of our products.”

A big part of its sustainability and net zero quest is Samsung’s “New Environmental Strategy” launched in September last year. It aims to tackle global environmental issues through its technologies.

The initiative has three major pillars, namely:

Joining the global drive to fight climate change, 
Supporting the implementation of a circular economy, and 
Addressing environmental challenges through technological innovation.

In particular, the tech major plans to boost the share of renewables in its energy mix. For its Southwest Asia operations, Samsung aimed to match electricity consumption with renewable energy production by 2022. That goal comes later for Central and Latin America and Africa, by 2025 and 2027, respectively. 

Samsung has already achieved this target in China, the U.S. and Europe.

Moreover, the tech giant will further invest in new technologies that reduce process gasses produced by semiconductor manufacturing. It’s one of the areas that account for most of Samsung’s emissions. The company hopes to implement the necessary technology in its production facilities by 2030.

Other net zero strategies of Samsung are to:

optimize the energy efficiency of its products,
increase water recycling during manufacturing, and 
develop carbon capture technology.

For unavoidable emissions, Samsung are buying carbon offset credits as part of its climate adaptation efforts since 2013. These carbon credits are from different carbon reduction projects, including low-carbon cooking stoves, landfill gas treatment, and nature-based solution projects.

Here are the firm’s net zero and sustainability targets at a glance.

How Does Samsung Progress Towards Net Zero? 

Samsung shows that it’s serious about its net zero pledge and is making strides toward it. 

In 2022, the company achieved 10.16 million tonnes of CO₂e reduction (Scopes 1 and 2) compared to 2019 levels. That’s a whopping 59% increase from the previous year.

Also, the tech giant became a member of the RE100, a global movement pursuing a 100% renewable energy system. 

This commitment was proven by completing its transition to using renewables in Samsung’s Device eXperience (DX) divisions in Brazil, India and Vietnam. This is in line with the largest smartphone maker’s plan to utilize sustainable energy at its sites outside South Korea.

DX is the division that is making the Apple iPhone’s rival Galaxy smartphone series.

The South Korean major reported 8,704GWh of renewable energy consumed globally, reaching a transition rate of 31%.

Moreover, Samsung has increased the amount of recycled resin in its product and packaging plastic components by 200% (99,000 tonnes). Its Galaxy S6 phone is made with 99.9% recyclable material and comes in recyclable packaging. This innovation won the Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Champion Award by the US Environmental Protection Agency. 

It also puts the company on track with its target of using recycled resin in 50% of plastic parts by 2030 and in all plastic components by 2050.

When it comes to water resource preservation, Samsung managed to reuse 117 million tonnes of water in 2022, up 29% from 2021. 

Lastly, the major tech company is working with various organizations to further improve its sustainability efforts. For instance, it partnered with the popular brand Patagonia to make a washing machine that minimizes the environmental impact of microplastics. 

To make its net zero ambition a reality, Samsung will invest $5.3 billion in those strategies by 2030. And as it’s making progress in this journey, it’s inspiring other companies to do the same.

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