CO2 Solutions says it has completed the internal development of a high-performance carbonic anhydrase enzyme.
In extensive bench testing, the new enzyme, named 1T1, has demonstrated longevity and catalytic performance, surpassing that of the best third-party enzymes used by CO2 Solutions to date, the company says. As such, 1T1 is expected to be the principal enzyme for the company’s carbon capture process going forward.
Patent applications have been filed in relation to 1T1 and the use thereof.
Relative to its peers, 1T1 has a longer lifespan in the CO2 capture process, and delivers greater stability in meeting the required specifications for CO2 capture efficiency, the company says. At the same time, initial manufacturing results suggest that the production cost per unit weight of enzyme protein are likely to be substantially less than that for the third-party enzymes used to date.
At the enzyme concentration levels required to deliver optimal carbon capture, CO2 Solutions believes this should lead to significantly lower enzyme-related costs, further reducing operating expenses of the capture process.
The Corporation has outsourced production of 1T1 to a third party, and industrial-scale batches of 1T1 have been manufactured. With 1T1, CO2 Solutions can produce the enzyme through a number of potential contract manufacturers, while controlling the associated intellectual property.
The new enzyme will be used in the upcoming tests at the University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center, scheduled for December.
1T1 was developed with the financial assistance of the Government of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program.
Earlier this month CO2 Solutions started construction on a carbon capture pilot unit in Saskatchewan as part of a collaboration agreement with Husky Energy for the capture of CO2 in the oil industry.