Discuss a material

Two platforms, one method.

Each platform recovers carbon from a waste stream, then upgrades it. The feedstocks differ. The engineering problem is the same: consistent material from variable inputs.

Glowing hot material in a reactor

Platform 1
CO₂ Conversion and Upgrading

Patents pending. Captured CO₂ is decomposed into carbon, then upgraded into activated carbon with ash below 0.5%. Because the feedstock is a gas, the carbon carries almost none of the minerals found in coal or coconut-based grades. For supercapacitors, catalyst supports, purification and filtration.

Step 1, recover

CO₂ to carbon

Captured CO₂ is decomposed into solid carbon and oxygen. The carbon is collected for upgrading, and the only by-product is oxygen.

Platform 1, step 1: CO2 decompositionCaptured CO2 molecules are decomposed into solid carbon, which is upgraded into activated carbon, and oxygen, the only by-product. Net reaction: CO2 to carbon plus oxygen.Captured CO₂From steel, refining and other emittersCarbonOxygenDecompositionCO₂ split intocarbon and oxygenSolid carbonUpgraded into activated carbonOxygenThe only by-productNet reaction CO₂ → C + O₂
Step 2, upgrade

Carbon to activated carbon

Controlled activation etches a network of pores into the carbon, without breaking the particle up. The balance of macro, meso and micropores sets the surface area and how the material adsorbs, filters or stores charge.

Platform 1, step 2: activationActivation etches pores into a dense solid carbon particle without breaking it, creating macropores wider than 50 nanometres, mesopores of 2 to 50 nanometres and micropores smaller than 2 nanometres.Solid carbonDense, low surface areaActivationetches poresinto the carbonActivated carbonSame particle, now full of pores: far more surface areaMacroporesWider than 50 nmTransport channelsMesopores2 to 50 nmAccess and diffusionMicroporesSmaller than 2 nmAdsorption sitesPore classes follow the IUPAC classification.

Platform 2
Battery Recycling and Upgrading

Patented. Graphite is recovered from black mass and purified to battery grade, then exfoliated into few-layer graphene. For anodes, conductive additives, thermal interfaces, coatings and composites.

Step 1, recover

Black mass to graphite

Black mass is a mix of graphite and cathode metal oxides. Selective enrichment separates and purifies the graphite to battery grade. The metal-rich white mass goes to metal recyclers, who can process it faster without the graphite.

Platform 2, step 1: separating black massBlack mass contains graphite flakes and cathode metal oxides. Selective enrichment and purification yields battery-grade graphite, which Aeroborn keeps, and white mass, which goes to metal recyclers.Black massShredded lithium-ion battery cellsGraphite, typically 25 to 40% of black massCathode metal oxides: lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganeseSelectiveenrichmentand purificationBattery-grade graphiteKept and upgraded by AerobornWhite massTo metal recyclers for Li, Ni, Co, Mn
Step 2, upgrade

Graphite to few-layer graphene

An applied potential drives ions between the graphite layers until they separate into sheets of a few layers thick, at conditions that keep the carbon lattice intact.

Platform 2, step 2: electrochemical exfoliationRecovered graphite has layers 0.335 nanometres apart. An applied potential drives ions between the layers, widening them until they separate into few-layer graphene of 1 to 10 layers.GraphiteLayers 0.335 nm apart, AB stackedIons intercalateApplied potential drives ions betweenthe layers and widens the gapsFew-layer graphene1 to 10 layers, high surface areaand conductivityExfoliation runs at conditions that keep the carbon lattice intact.
Few-layer graphene

What makes the material usable

Know the feedstock

Composition, impurities and particle characteristics decide which route can deliver a useful result. Each feedstock is assessed before it is converted.

Control the conversion

Reaction conditions, activation, purification and exfoliation are engineered for repeatable output, not for a single ideal input.

Tune for the application

Surface area, pore structure, purity, conductivity and morphology are adjusted against the requirements of the end use.

Qualify the outcome

Materials are tested against practical criteria for batteries, filtration, supercapacitors and other industrial uses.

What is proven so far

Results from our pilot work in Rotterdam, and the programmes that fund it.

Graphite recovery, Rotterdam pilot85% carbon recovery, 99.95% purityPerformance matching virgin graphite, verified in testing at Bournemouth University
CustomersMaterials under evaluation with three European battery makers
Intellectual propertyPlatform 2 patented, Platform 1 patents pending
CO₂ conversionTRL 7 unit in an industrial Fieldlab, being commissionedConnected to CO₂ from major emitters, Kansen voor West III
Where we buildRDM Innovation Dock, Port of RotterdamWith operations in the Netherlands and Greece
Public backingEU Just Transition Fund, EFRO Kansen voor West, Province of Zuid-Holland, Greek national programmes

Start with a material need

Tell us the application, the specification you need and the volumes you expect. We will tell you which route fits and what a sample programme looks like.

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