Calix takes a major leap in advancing direct carbon capture technology

Calix, a developer of low-carbon industrial technology, has expanded its commitment to Direct Air Capture (DAC) of carbon dioxide by entering a global licensing agreement for its technology. In this partnership, Calix's subsidiary, Leilac, will exclusively collaborate with Heirloom Carbon Technologies on DAC applications. Leilac's innovative technology, which employs externally heated calcination, effectively isolates CO₂ from limestone to create decarbonized lime.

The same process is utilized for the production of low-carbon cement and the processing of lithium ores. Nevertheless, this technology also holds significant potential for the aluminium industry, which grapples with carbon emissions as a pressing issue and seeks to transition towards a more environmentally sustainable production process.

Furthermore, Heirloom's DAC technology leverages lime in an inventive carbonation process to directly capture CO₂ from the atmosphere and transform it into limestone.

Phil Hodgson, the CEO of Calix, said, “Our partnership with Heirloom creates the opportunity to apply the Leilac technology into a new and rapidly developing market. It is also an example of our commercialisation strategy in action, with partnerships and licensing arrangements enabling our core technology platform technology to be simultaneously applied to multiple large addressable markets.”

Leilac's agreement entails receiving royalties exceeding $3 per tonne of CO₂ captured or 3.5 per cent of the current market price for CO2 in the context of lime decarbonization.

Furthermore, Heirloom is set to contribute $3 million towards Calix's research and development efforts related to direct air capture (DAC) and lime-based technologies.

Heirloom has garnered support from notable investors, including Breakthrough Energy Ventures, founded by Bill Gates, as well as Ahren Innovation Capital and Microsoft, for its carbon dioxide removal initiatives.

Their flagship endeavour, Project Cypress, located in Louisiana, USA, has the ambitious goal of annually capturing over one million tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere.

The partnership between these two companies has been evolving through their collaborative work at Calix's pilot plant featuring a flash calciner and an electrically heated kiln in Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, as depicted in the image.

Daniel Rennie, the CEO of Leilac, said, “These agreements establish the collaborative foundation for the combination of two highly complementary technologies. Together, we have the potential to deliver a significant impact on removing legacy emissions.”