Skyonic Pioneers Carbon Capture Mineralization Process With First U.S. Patent

AUSTIN, Texas, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Skyonic Corporation today announced it has been granted a U.S. patent (patent number 7,727,374) that relates to the company's SkyMine® technology, an environmentally-safe, clean technology process proven to profitably capture and mineralize carbon into marketable byproducts. Based on proven scientific methods, SkyMine® uniquely combines gas handling, absorption and electrochemical production to reduce the amount of harmful carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from flue gas stacks. Power-generation plants, refineries, distilleries and other industrial manufacturers have the potential to become carbon-neutral with SkyMine®.  

"By turning carbon dioxide into minerals that can be sold on the open market, Skyonic gives utilities and manufacturers a way to recover the costs associated with storing carbon," said Michael Kanellos, Greentech Media editor-in-chief and senior analyst. "It also potentially lets them avoid regulatory battles: voters are likely going to object far more to an underground facility designed to store billions of cubic feet of gas under high pressures for hundreds of years than equipment that makes baking soda. Skyonic is onto something important here."

Skyonic's patented SkyMine® technology removes CO2 from industrial waste streams through co-generation of saleable carbonate and/or bicarbonate minerals. In addition to capturing and mineralizing CO2, SkyMine® cleans SOX and NO2 from the flue gas, and removes heavy minerals such as mercury.  SkyMine® plants can be retrofitted to existing power plants and industrial plants, and provide pathways for mitigating CO2 in areas where geologic storage, the predominant competing CO2 sequestration technology, is not an optimal solution. Skyonic is piloting its first commercial-scale project at the largest cement plant in Texas operated by Capitol Aggregates, Ltd.

"Skyonic's innovative for-profit approach to CO2 removal has the capability to radically change the industrialized world's view of carbon emissions, and this patent is recognition of that potential," said Joe Jones, founder and CEO of Skyonic Corporation.  "SkyMine® combines three proven and independent technology processes to bring the chemistry to life.  Large stationary emitters have the ability to not only remove CO2, but recycle it into marketable products, which will help stimulate a greater response by the private sector to reduce its carbon impact."  

Greenhouse gases (GHG) are predominately made up of CO2 and the highest concentration exists at power-plants, making reduction or removal of CO2 from those fixed sites an ideal application for SkyMine®.  SkyMine® not only provides power producers the ease to scale CO2 removal configurations to better meet aggressive carbon reduction goals but recycles pollutants into marketable byproducts.

Power producers and some companies operating in the manufacturing and refining sectors across the globe are expected to adopt these types of technologies more aggressively in the near future, based on pending legislation in various regions.  U.S. Senators Kerry (D-Massachusetts) and Lieberman (I-Connecticut) released this month a draft of the American Power Act (APA), which sets a mandatory 17 percent reduction in GHG emissions below 2005 levels by the year 2020 with an overall goal to cut GHG emissions 83 percent by 2050.

More information on Skyonic patent issued today for "Removing Carbon Dioxide from Waste Streams through Co-Generation of Synthetic Carbonate Minerals" can be found here.

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. Skyonic is currently designing a commercial-scale SkyMine® plant and expects to begin construction in San Antonio, Texas in late 2010. 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