OUT OF THIN AIR
AIR COMPANY COPIES A BASIC BIOLOGICAL METHOD TO PROCESS C02 INTO USEFUL PRODUCTS.
ir Company’s founding concept is elegant—mimic plant photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide into alcohol that can yield a wide variety of products, from vodka to jet fuel. To make it happen, the Brooklyn-based startup had to build its own reactors, using a proprietary catalyst to combine carbon and hydrogen while releasing no carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.
Five years after its founding, Air Company employs 50 people and operates a carbon conversion reactor in Brooklyn with 10 times the output of its pilot facility down the street, and it plans to build an even bigger, hydropowered reactor near Niagara Falls in 2024. Long-term, the startup hopes to build facilities wherever it can capture carbon and draw from nearby renewable energy sources—including wind and solar power—and it may eventually license the tech to others as it proves out the ability to handle higher volumes.
“Our innovative process and technology is all about scale, and optimization for cost at scale,” says Gregory Constantine, Air Company’s cofounder and CEO.
Meanwhile, the startup is looking beyond vodka, hand sanitizer, and perfume for its output. It’s been testing sustainable jet fuel for the U.S. Air Force, and has agreements with major airlines—including JetBlue and Virgin Atlantic—to produce 1 billion gallons of fuel over the next decade. NASA has also provided a grant for R&D into rocket fuel.
“We see a world where carbon dioxide can be part of our solution,” says Constantine, “not just the problem.”
AN EV -CHARGING ROBOT
ZIGGY WILL TRANSFORM EXISTING PARKING FACILITIES INTO EV-CHARGING STATIONS.
01 SCHEDULING
Drivers who need a charge use an app to reserve a spot at a garage offering the service. Ziggy positions itself in a designated spot, moving aside when the driver arrives.
02 FLEXIBILITY
By early 2024, Ziggy (created by the startup EV Safe Charge) will turn garages and lots into charging
