Dioxycle ($17M to produce ethylene, CO, methanol, ethanol using CO2, electrolyzer, and renewable energy)

Dioxycle, a French-American cleantech startup founded in 2021, develops electrolyzer technology that uses a CO₂-rich solvent from, for example, a Direct Air Capture unit or an industrial exhaust CO₂ capture system to turn CO₂ into a valuable product of ethylene. Ethylene can be further transformed into fuels and daily products. By converting CO₂ emissions into useful products, Dioxycle aims to decarbonize industries with unavoidable CO₂ emissions in their processes.

(This article contains 5 diagrams and 1375 words.)

Challenges: carbon emissions of ethylene production

Ethylene (C₂H₄) stands as the world's most widely used organic chemical, serving as a fundamental building block for countless everyday products ranging from packaging and clothing to building materials and automotive components. Ethylene can also be used as a transportation fuel or to produce electric energy in stationary plants.

Ethylene is primarily manufactured through steam cracking, a process that fractures hydrocarbons like naphtha, ethane, or propane at high temperatures (800–1,200 ºC) in the presence of steam. This energy-intensive method relies heavily on fossil fuels, both as feedstocks and as the primary energy source to generate the extreme heat required for cracking. The combustion of natural gas or other fuels to sustain these conditions releases significant amounts of CO₂, accounting for approximately 60–70% of the process’s total emissions. Additionally, the chemical reactions during cracking can produce CO₂ as a byproduct, further amplifying the carbon footprint.

On average, producing one ton of ethylene emits between 0.85 to 1.80 metric tons of CO₂, making it one of the most carbon-intensive processes in the chemical manufacturing sector.

Dioxycle Technology

Dioxycle develops electrolyzer technology that turns CO₂ into valuable products at low temperatures. The electrolyzer inputs a CO₂-rich solvent stream that can be from a Direct Air Capture unit, a seawater CO₂ capture system, or an industrial exhaust CO₂ capture system and reduces CO₂ at cathodes to valuable product of ethylene (C₂H₄).

Dioxycle electrolyzer

The electrolyzer stack comprises a plurality of cells arranged in a stack. Each electrolyzer cell has a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) between two polar plates. The membrane selectively allows the flow of reactants across the membrane from the cathode or anode to the opposite electrode. The diagram below depicts the structure of an Dioxycle electrolyzer cell.