DOE Awards Skyonic $25M to Build Largest Carbon Mineralization Plant

AUSTIN, Texas, July 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Skyonic Corporation today announced it received $25 million from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to support phase two construction of the Capitol-SkyMine® project, targeted to be the world's first for-profit, commercial carbon capture plant.  Utilizing Skyonic's patented SkyMine® CO2 mineralization process, the project will implement new methods for removing CO2 and heavy metals from the flue gas stacks of power plants or other industrial sources and produce products with economic value. Construction of the Capitol-SkyMine® plant will begin this fall at Capitol Aggregates, Ltd. in San Antonio and it is expected to be fully operational in the first half of 2012.  

Skyonic received the largest grant of the six beneficial reuse carbon capture projects that the DOE is supporting with funds made available through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This grant enables the company to build on over five years of laboratory testing and field work at various sites in Texas, and will help support the creation of more than 200 new jobs in the clean energy economy.

"These innovative projects bring economic growth to our region while helping the U.S. lead the way in developing clean energy technologies," said Congressman Charles Gonzalez (D-TX). "It's important that we invest in these technologies so we may achieve a greener economy while protecting the air we breathe."

The grant, paired with private investment, will cover the material and construction cost of the facility. The Capitol-SkyMine® plant is targeted to capture 75,000 metric-tonnes of CO2 emitted by Capitol Aggregates' cement plant and mineralize the carbon dioxide-emissions as high-purity baking soda. An additional 150,000 metric-tonnes of CO2 will be offset in the manufacture of chemical byproducts. The Capitol-SkyMine® plant is expected to operate at a profit, due to the sale of these byproducts.

"Skyonic is bringing much needed economic growth to our region while helping the U.S. lead the way in developing clean energy technologies," said Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX). "I applaud Skyonic's work and look forward to seeing it continue to develop with the help of this funding."

In addition to removing CO2 at the facility, Skyonic will remove sulfur oxides, nitrogen dioxide, mercury and other heavy metals from flue gas streams (see DOE reference to SkyMine® as a promising replacement for conventional scrubber technology). 

About Skyonic Corporation

Founded in 2005, Skyonic Corporation developed the first carbon capture technology designed to profitably capture carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by mineralizing the gas into baking soda.  Developed by inventor and CEO, Joe Jones, SkyMine® is a patented green technology process that enables power-generation and industrial manufacturing plants to cost-effectively produce energy and products in a cleaner way. Skyonic has conducted field trials and pilot projects at power plants throughout Texas. The company is headquartered in Austin, Texas and is backed by venture capital. To learn more about Skyonic visit http://www.skyonic.com.

SOURCE Skyonic Corporation