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Soletair Power

Learn how our direct air capture machines work.

Building-carbon-capture technology

How is CO2 captured from the air by Soletair Power?

We remove CO2 from the air by integrating a technology called “direct air capture” with the HVAC system. Captured CO2 gets converted to carbonates, and then stored inside concretes and then in buildings, where it stays permanently stored and can no longer contribute to climate change.

➊ The building’s HVAC system pulls in air.

➋ The incoming air is pushed through our proprietary sorbents. Carbon dioxide is selectively adsorbed by them.

➌ When the filter is saturated, the machine is closed and regenerated via vacuum & heating to collect the captured CO2.

➍ The captured CO2 is stored in a separate storage container near or inside the building.

➎ CO2 is supplied for making concrete.

Amine functionalized sorbent is used by Soletair Power within its carbon capture systems utilizing a temperature vacuum swing adsorption process.

A video explaining the process
Soletair Power Building Carbon Capture System HVAC Integrated Direct Air Capture in Building CCUS CO2 capture for emission reduction

Integrating Carbon Capture in buildings to make CO2 emissions negative

Reach net-negative emission goals when your building captures more CO2 than it emits. Our HVAC-retrofittable direct air capture technology is modularly designed, safe for humans, and cost-effective. As a turnkey solution that can be installed in 1-30 days, this technology will pave the path toward building net-negative cities.

Building HVAC system

What is Direct Air Capture?

Direct Air Capture or DAC refers to extracting CO2 or other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere by chemical means, generally using a chemical sorbent and large fans to move ambient air through a filter. The CO2 is then available as a stream of gas for utilization or storage.

How DAC works?

The carbon atom in CO2 is partially positive. When CO2 comes in contact with a negative electron-rich molecule, the positive C atom is attacked and CO2 is captured. This electron-rich molecule is present in a solid medium called “Adsorbent” or Sorbent.

DAC process

Carbon dioxide and water are separated from the air onto a sorbent, which releases them when heated. When water is separated from the produced gas, the process produces almost pure carbon dioxide.

Soletair Power’s Building Carbon Capture Technology

HVAC Integrated Direct Air Capture

Process of capturing carbon from buildings

The HVAC Integrated CO2 Capturing Unit is a modular carbon capture system that operates plug-and-play. It can capture up to 20 tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to 3 hectares of Nordic forest aged 30 years, and can be integrated into the building’s HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system. The system also lowers HVAC energy costs by controlling the building’s ventilation runtime based on CO2 levels. The unique selling points of the system are its building retrofitability, easy installation and uninstallation, modular design, weatherproof capture, and low water/ heat/ electricity/ material/ carbon footprint.

The system that we have installed in Wärtsilä Sustainable Technology Hub, Vaasa, Finland, their standard ventilation unit handling 3.3 m3/s of air, Soletair Power’s CO2 capture system has a dimension of 3m x 3m x 3m (LWH). So, it is small in land usage since it can operate in buildings.

We are using the Temperature vacuum swing adsorption process in our direct air capture technology. We have our own proprietary Amine-functionalized solid sorbent. From the HVAC system, incoming air is pushed through these sorbent filters, and carbon dioxide is trapped (or adsorbed) by them. When the filter is saturated with these compounds the machine is closed and regenerated via vacuum and heating to collect CO2. Moisture is condensed leaving pure CO2 for compression. The captured CO2 is stored in a separate storage container.

If one wants to install this system, their building needs to have an HVAC system. We will inspect where we can install it, whether it should be inside the HVAC room or on the roof, or outside the building. The system will function at its peak when the air coming from outdoors has temperatures around 0° to +25°C. High moisture is typically not a problem.

The system itself is fully automated. It can be connected to several IoT sensors and also to the building’s automation system. Signals to external systems can be pushed from our control cabinet and remote operation is possible. We can also monitor and control it remotely through the Internet.

Currently, existing customers are utilizing the CO2 themselves for their own R&D purposes. We can help customers have utilization cases with captured CO2 through our different CO2 utilization and storage partners. For example, in Dubai, we made the world’s first compact Power-to-X demonstration unit for our customers. We partnered with Q-Power and Wärtsilä. Similarly, we can provide concrete injection, synthetic fuel production, or storage with our partners; it depends on the location of the facilities.

Clean and environment-friendly process
Our proprietary sorbent is highly efficient and does not have any hazardous components.

Patented and proofed technology
Soletair Power has five patents, one already granted in the United States.

Competitive and cost-efficient technology
The technology retrofits with existing HVAC system inside buildings, making the process cost-efficient and using fewer steel and electric components (CO2 capture costs can be less than 100 €/t in a few years)

No need for steam or heat energy
Soletair Power Carbon Capture technology uses only electricity. This can be obtained from renewable or clean energy.

Low maintenance
There is no corrosion or damage, it requires low maintenance. The life span of the sorbent is ten years.

Easy to scale up and applicable to various industries
Commercial buildings, lime kilns, pulp mills, power plants, breweries refineries, etc.

Specifications

Size and capacity

The size depends on the type of installation site. Soletair Power’s modular plug-and-play building carbon capture system has an average dimension of 3m x 3m x 3m for setting up in the ventilation room with Air Handling Units handling 3.3 m3/s of air.

The system can capture up to 20 tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to 3 hectares of Nordic forest aged 30 years.

The system can help lower the costs of buildings’ energy usage by controlling the ventilation runtime based on CO2 levels. The fully automated system can also be connected to several IoT sensors.

Soletair Power Capturing CO2 from air with Buildings HVAC in Singapore City Estimation

Making buildings net-zero.

Install our HVAC Integrated CO2 capture Unit in your building’s HVAC room for reducing total emissions from buildings as well as improving indoor environments for your employees. Tailor-made systems will be made according to your building’s architectural design and based on CO2‘s volume, purity, and energy-consumption requirement.

  • Use: Commercial product
  • Dimensions: 3 m x 3 m x 3 m (lbh)
  • CO2 capture capacity: 50-300 kg/day
  • CO2 storage: As compressed gas
  • Purity of desorbed CO2: 99.98%
  • Regeneration temperature: < 100°C
  • Installation time: 3 months
  • Control area:  Siemens HMI Panels
  • LCA and CO2 footprint: Available upon request

Black colored Tank for storing CO2

Fuel from thin air.

This compact unit has a carbon capture and fuel production module built in. The World’s first public demonstration of making fuel from thin air was done with this unit at the Finland pavilion of Expo 2020, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

  • Use: Demonstration product for Expo 2020 Dubai
  • Dimensions: 5 m x 1.2 m x 3 m (l x b x h)
  • Carbon storage capability: YES (Gas)
  • Fuel Production: YES (synthetic methane)
  • Fuel production capacity: 0.5 kg synthetic methane/day
  • Carbon capture capacity: 1.5 kg/day
  • Purity of desorbed CO2: 99.7 %
  • Delivery period: 9-12 months
  • Installation time: 2 hours
  • Control area: Siemens SIMATIC HMI Panels

Soletair Power Power to X demo unit for Expo 2020 Dubai outline png

High volume CO2 capture outdoors.

Plug-n-play modular outdoor CO2 capturing device that is easy to install on-site for high volume CO2 capture from the air.

  • Use: Commercial project for high-volume CO2 capture
  • Carbon capture capability: YES
  • Carbon storage capability: YES
  • Carbon capture capacity: 21 kg/day (with each container)
  • Dimensions: 2.5 m x 2.8 m x 12 m (l x b x h)
  • Regeneration temperature: Below 100°C
  • Purity of desorbed CO2: 99.99%
  • Delivery period: 12 months
  • Installation time: 1 day
  • Control area:  Siemens SIMATIC HMI Panels

A rendered output

No more sleeping in meetings!

Office productivity booster that enhances thinking clarity by temporarily locking in the room CO2 during working hours. This unit has a built-in self-cleaning module.

  • Use: Consumer product for indoor environments
  • Power requirement: 230 VAC
  • Carbon capture capacity: 1 kg/day (temporary)
  • Dimensions: 0.4 m x 0.4 m x 1.5 m (l x b x h)
  • Weight: 50 kg
  • Installation time: 10 minutes
  • Control area: 7″ RGB touchscreen display

Indoor CO2 filtering Air Purifier Unit Soletair Power landscape

Is it in the air?

Desktop CO2 monitor that tells you the level of carbon dioxide gas in the room as well the potential impact on cognitive function scores.

  • Use: Consumer product
  • Power requirement: 5 V DC
  • Dimensions: 19 cm x 5 cm x 12 cm (l x b x h)
  • Weight: 200 gm
  • Delivery period: 14 days
  • Installation time: 2 minutes
  • Control area: 7″ RGB touchscreen display

Soletair Power Indoor CO2 monitor Unit for desktop

Multifamily Apartments

Offices

Industrial

Hospital

Lab & R&D

Coworking Spaces

Hotel

University