Capturing CO2 is crucial for meeting global net-zero goals, but implementation is impeded by capital intensity and supply chain limitations. Rhoic’s inexpensive, CO2-selective, low-pressure-drop, durable, and scalable air contactor unlocks direct air capture’s ability to mitigate the climate crisis.
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John Slack
John Slack is the founder and CEO of Rhoic, a direct air capture (DAC) company dedicated to drastically decreasing the costs of carbon capture through materials science and nano-scale architectures. After obtaining a Ph.D. in chemical engineering from Vanderbilt University, he joined Nikola Corporation, leading teams of researchers across industry, academia, and national labs. With a decade of experience in the green hydrogen technology space, he’s applying lessons learned from that field to CO2 removal.
TECHNOLOGY
Critical Need
Capturing previously emitted CO2 is necessary to achieve global net-zero targets. Yet, it’s currently too expensive to do so in a permanent manner that can be easily measured, verified and reported. Most (65-80 percent) of this cost comes from the functional materials. This is compounded by the fact that materials degrade quickly and need frequent replacements. These necessarily porous, high surface area materials must be manufactured quickly and made to last much longer. They must also have high operational flexibility to work across different humidities and temperatures.
Technology Vision
To decrease the capital intensity of CO2 capture, Rhoic’s nanoscale manufacturing technique accomplishes multiple goals: rapid production of highly porous, high-surface-area materials with exceptional durability and tunable hydrophobicity to operate in various humidities. Current carbon capture technologies incorporate adsorbing materials, but Rhoic's free-standing air contactor is actually made of adsorbing materials, offering unmatched efficiency. Because of the combined effects of low-pressure drop to process more air at once, fewer replacements, and high production rates, Rhoic pushes on the largest levers to bring the levelized cost of CO2 down to meet the ever-increasing demand for high-quality carbon dioxide removal credits.
Potential for Impact
The potential impact of Rhoic’s inexpensive, CO2-selective, low-pressure drop, durable, and scalable air contactor enables the field of direct air capture to scale faster than ever before. Rhoic’s technology addresses the primary bottlenecks associated with direct air capture to unlock unprecedented carbon dioxide removal rates. Drastically increasing production of CO2-selective nanomaterials will ease supply-chain constraints faced by the entire industry. Ultimately, this technology will enable widespread, permanent removal of atmospheric CO2, directly mitigating and reversing the global climate crisis and promoting a healthier environment, benefiting societies worldwide by fostering sustainable development and protecting natural ecosystems.