(PRNewswire)-- Oxylus Energy, the Yale-based start-up formerly known as Carbon Loop, announced that it has successfully passed key benchmark tests for the deployment and commercialization of its proprietary catalyst and electrolyzer technology in a 5 cm² cell. This is a critical platform for design iterations, as it offers significant predictability for performance at the size of commercial-scale cells.

No existing company has achieved the capability to convert captured carbon dioxide into methanol using an electrolyzer at room temperature & pressure at a production-level scale. Oxylus' technology, however, holds the promise of being one of the most cost-effective methods for generating renewable methanol, potentially surpassing fossil-derived methanol. This groundbreaking potential positions Oxylus at the forefront of innovation in this field.

Methanol, the simplest liquid hydrocarbon, becomes an ideal application for utilizing captured carbon dioxide. It also serves as a direct fuel for shipping, can be easily upgraded into aviation fuel and acts as a versatile feedstock for various chemicals and plastics. This has the potential to decarbonize 11% of global emissions – a huge opportunity.

By directly converting CO₂ into methanol, this avoids the use of a second reactor to create H₂, Oxylus' process saves costs and energy. Producing methanol as the only liquid end product also reduces separation and distillation expenses, making the entire process simpler and more cost-effective than other CO₂ electrolysis methods.

With the successful validation of its 5 cm² platform, Oxylus is immediately prepared for the next phase of development, gearing up for tests at 10x scale before the end of the year. The upcoming trials will focus on the newly designed and constructed 50 cm² cell and incorporate stability testing into the evaluation process.

"This successful test confirms our capacity to generate renewable methanol on a platform that instills confidence in our ability to scale. The 5cm² unit is the cornerstone of any electrolysis company as it has a high predictability for performance at the production scale. While diligently testing our 5cm² electrolyzer, we simultaneously developed a larger 50cm² counterpart to prove that we can develop larger electrolyzers that are firmly off the bench-scale. Our sights are already set on the next significant step on our scale-up journey - a production-level cell," said Perry Bakas, Co-Founder of Oxylus Energy. "Major industries like the aviation and petrochemical industries need clean, renewable solutions now. We are not wasting any time."