RAPCO2
The Forest 2.0

Direct Air Capture, also known as DAC, is the technology used to capture CO2 from dilute sources such as outdoor or indoor air. This technology involves the use of materials capable of selectively but reversibly binding to CO2. Currently, the release of the pollutant from the material requires significant energy costs , making the CO2 derived from DAC too expensive to be used in the production of economically viable chemical compounds.

Our technology is based on the use of green hydrogen, to power our workforce: homoacetogenic microorganisms. Due to their natural metabolic capabilities, RAPCO2 requires low-pressure, low-purity hydrogen. These two strategic advantages allow our technology to finally make intermittent renewable electricity usable. Using renewable sources such as photovoltaic or wind power, the RAPCO2 process produces and uses the hydrogen it needs during energy peaks, transforming intermittent energy into stable, valuable compounds .

RAPCO2 offers two capture devices: BlueLeaf and eJungle. The first product is ideal for small offices, shops, and small businesses. It features a tank of capture fluid sufficient to guarantee up to three weeks of operation. Our operators will handle maintenance and return a liquid filled with carbon dioxide ready for conversion. Along with BlueLeaf, its bigger brother, eJungle, is a device capable of purifying the air of entire shopping centers and large residential and commercial buildings. Unlike BlueLeaf, eJungle can regenerate the capture material on-site, adopting our in-house technology that converts pollutants into green chemical compounds ready to be converted into eFuel.

The RAPCO2 solution eliminates the energy consumption required to regenerate CO2 capture material by leveraging the ability of natural microorganisms to extract CO2 from the capture material, using it to grow and produce renewable chemical compounds. The core of the solution is the innovative synergy between the capture process and the biological fixation process, designed and patented by the RAPCO2 team. Once the capture material has been regenerated at zero cost using RAPCO2 technology, it can once again capture CO2 directly from the air in a perfectly cyclical process that is extremely competitive compared to existing CO2 capture and utilization processes.

DAC can be performed both outdoors and indoors, but indoor capture is more efficient and, when performed with RAPCO2 technology, can produce significant additional benefits. RAPCO2 aims to become a benchmark for all companies and businesses that share a simple, widespread technology: air conditioning. In our offices, homes, or the shopping centers where we spend time, there's an invisible enemy that gradually accumulates simply because we breathe: CO2. Indoor levels easily reach concentrations up to three times those outside, causing a decline in cognitive ability. This is also why the law requires air recirculation, at least in public spaces. However, even when air is recirculated, two major problems arise: the outside air introduced is often loaded with pollutants such as particulate matter, and the outside temperature is far from comfortable. Consequently, energy must be spent to condition air of questionable quality. RAPCO2 allows you to kill two birds with one stone: always clean air free from pollutants, and reduced consumption for air conditioning.

The homoacetogenic microorganisms used in the RAPCO2 reactor enable the production of an extremely concentrated acetate stream at an alkaline pH. Using the acetate crystals obtained from the biological reactor, RAPCO2 employs a combination of relatively well-known processes to produce a sustainable eFuel: isopropyl alcohol. This compound is chemically similar to two other widely used alcoholic fuels: methanol and ethanol. So why do we offer it? Simple: isopropyl alcohol, unlike methanol, is completely safe for operators, despite having a higher energy density and engine compatibility than ethanol. This means that by powering ships with our sustainable fuel, it will be possible to (safely) save space for the cargo to be transported, requiring smaller tanks to cover the same distance. In short, less fuel volume, the same mileage, and more cargo transported, all while avoiding fossil carbon emissions.