Humanity faces an existential crisis: climate change. But what if one of the major factors of this challenge, carbon dioxide, could become its solution? Air Company, a finalist in the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE, is making the impossible possible by converting CO2 into an abundant and sustainable resource.
The NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE challenged teams to develop breakthrough technologies that convert CO2 emissions into valuable products. Launched in 2015, the five-year, $20M competition kickstarted the carbon removal industry, paving the way for sustainable product innovation and transforming carbon dioxide from a problem, into a solution.
When CEO Gregory Constantine and CTO Dr. Stafford Sheehan founded Air Company, carbon dioxide removal (CDR) was a nascent industry high on promise and low on results. However, entering the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE revealed advantages to them beyond the prospect of prize money—it became a catalyst for advancing their technology.
“Competition keeps us moving, and it keeps us driving forward. As humans, we are competitive individuals and competitive beings, and that’s what allows us to want to push and work on all the things that everyone’s working on today.”
-Gregory Constantine, CEO and Co-Founder of Air Company
Air Company combines carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and a patented catalyst in their Carbon Conversion Reactor system that mimics the natural process of photosynthesis. This efficient and scalable method generates oxygen as a byproduct and produces a range of alcohols, chemicals, and fuels. These outputs are used to create diverse products, including vodka, perfume, and, impressively, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Air Company's SAF is already making an impact on the aviation industry, with JetBlue committing to purchase up to five million gallons over five years, while Virgin Atlantic agreed to purchase up to 100 million gallons over ten years.
Following their success in the competition, Air Company received the EPA’s Green Chemistry Award in 2023. Today, they are an active competitor in another competition, XPRIZE Carbon Removal, aiming to further advance their technology as a solution for durable carbon dioxide removal at gigatonne scale.
Watch Air Company share their story in our XPRIZE Innovators series and discover how you can get involved in competitions that are changing the world at xprize.org.