Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
 Archives - Chalmers Ventures

Korall Carbon Capture AB

Problem
Historical high CO2 emissions already present in the atmosphere.

Solution
Impact & deeptech from Chalmers University of Technology called Direct Air Capture (DAC) where it is possible to collect CO2 directly from the atmosphere.

Potential

Global business and impact.

Bury underground, where it can mineralize in the bedrock and prevent it from returning to the atmosphere.

Transform the captured carbon dioxide into new, greener products.

 

The world urgently needs solutions to manage carbon emissions, and Korall has developed a promising one. Our technology captures carbon dioxide directly from the air, a breakthrough achieved by our research team at Chalmers University. During a coffee break, the team left an experiment unattended. When they returned, they discovered something amazing. The chemicals had captured carbon dioxide from the air at an incredible rate, so the technology’s foundation was born.

The business model is simple and can be likened to a garbage truck for the air. We capture the carbon dioxide, a customer pays for the collection, and then receives a certificate for the amount of carbon dioxide collected. We are currently working to scale up, further develop, and improve this technology to reach the market and make a real difference. With this technology, we aim to actively contribute to lowering our emissions and help the world return to a better state.

Anferra

Anferra AB addresses a significant environmental and economic challenge in the steel industry: the disposal of grinding swarf (slipmull), a complex waste by-product from machining processes. Traditionally, managing this waste is costly and environmentally damaging, particularly as the industry shifts towards less CO2-intensive practices that further limit recycling options.

Our patent-pending hydrometallurgical process offers a solution by efficiently recovering iron from this waste and converting it into high-quality iron chloride, a key chemical used in water treatment. This innovative approach not only recycles iron with a recovery rate of up to 90% but also concentrates valuable alloy metals like nickel and chromium and generates hydrogen.

The benefits are substantial: steel companies can significantly reduce waste management costs and environmental impact while enhancing their recycling rates. Additionally, by producing recycled chemicals for water treatment, our process lessens reliance on raw materials and supports circular economy principles across multiple industries.

Adsorbi

Air pollutant capture is essential for avoiding health problems and protecting sensitive objects. But today’s unsustainable material use has severe environmental impacts and manufacturers looking for new materials for air pollutant removal have few alternatives. We want to help industries in sustainable transition by providing an innovative super-material.

Adsorbi has developed an adsorbent material that is highly efficient in capturing air pollutants, 5-8 times more effective than the existing alternatives on the market. The material is cellulose-based and designed to have a low environmental impact throughout the entire value chain.

Air pollutant control is needed in many markets and the first Adsorbi products are launched for art conservation. Museums and archives need solutions that remove air pollutants in storage spaces, are made from stable materials, and are easy to use. Adsorbi has developed storage pads together with art conservators which will be launched in 2023.

Nyctea Technologies

The purpose of Nyctea Technologies is to increase the efficiency in the production of biological pharmaceuticals.

Antibodies, gene vectors and vaccines are effective treatments against a growing number of diseases. However, they are expensive to produce and slow to develop restricting global access to the best available pharmaceuticals. The main contributor to the cost of production, is the separation of the pharmaceutical compound from other biomolecules made by the cells during harvest.

Nyctea Technologies develops an electrode filter that can capture and release biopharmaceuticals by electronic signals. This enables a new and more efficient method of separation between biological molecules, which can increase the speed and control in development and production of life saving treatments.

The long-term ambition is to create the next generation digitalized and automated systems for every step in the biomedical industry, from production and analysis to diagnostics and drug-delivery.

Vividye

As consumer demand for the latest beauty trends accelerates, the cosmetic industry becomes a fast paced environment. The industry faces significant sustainability challenges, particularly through the pollution of water sources with microplastics and harmful chemicals. Many beauty products may also contain harmful chemicals, including allergens and carcinogens, which can pose health risks and contribute to pollution.

At Vividye, we have developed a technology that adjusts pigment characteristics to create versatile and vibrant colors. With a successful background in textile coloring and printing, we have adapted our technology for the cosmetics industry, making it suitable for a wide range of make up and hair care products. This innovative approach enables colors to be easily tailored or modified, reducing environmental impact and decreasing the use of harmful substances. In other words, making it possible for all to shift to high performing, sustainable color technology.

Vitroprobe

Vitroprobe Analytics performs biomolecular analysis at the atomic scale to help design the pharmaceutical drugs of tomorrow. The development of new effective pharmaceutical drugs to fight disease is a slow and expensive process. Successful drug design relies on a profound understanding of the interactions between drug candidates and their target molecules in the body. The company has developed a unique platform to analyze target molecular structure in3D with simultaneous identification of individual constituent atoms. With the novel patented technique drug targets can be examined one atom at a time, thereby enabling fine-tuning of new pharmaceutical substances. The technology is the result of an interdisciplinary research program at Chalmers University of Technology.

Retein

A drop in the ocean doesn’t make any difference. Not until you realize that this drop corresponds to the fraction of water on Earth that is safe to drink. Removal of newly discovered pollutants such as microplastics and pharmaceutical residues require new ways to purify water. Or perhaps not? Retein develops water filters that harness the finest water purification process available in Nature, which is uniquely able to produce extremely pure water at low energy cost. Retein thereby aims to accommodate the needs of a billion people and industries alike by turning any source water into pure water in a cheap and environmentally friendly way.

Amferia

Problem
Bacterial infections are likely to surpass cancer and heart disease as a number one cause of human deaths in the future with resistant bacteria and overuse of antibiotics.

Solution
A deeptech hydrogel patch where antimicrobial peptides punctures bacterial membranes and destroys the cells without harming surrounding tissue.

Potential
Faster and safer health for animals and humans making sure to fight unnecessary deaths so that more cab survive infections. All on a truly global market.

 

Amferia develops innovative medical devices to provide solutions to the global antibiotic resistance crisis. Amferia’s core focus is preventive healthcare where the goal is to provide highly efficient anti-infective medical devices that can prevent bacterial infections including those caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria. Our dominant focus is within the wound care sector, producing preventive care wound patches for the pressing need to avoid antibiotic resistant skin infections. Amferia’s proprietary anti-infective technology is a result of several years of research from Chalmers University of Technology and is patent protected.

Promimic

Developing and marketing HAnano Surface; a surface treatment that can be used on all implants regardless of material and geometry. Composed of crystalline hydroxyapatite particles the surface has the same shape and composition as in human bone. HAnano Surface is used clinically and has proven to significantly enhance the hydrophilicity and promote osseointegration of implants. The thin surface and the innovative coating process give an exclusive product and a true differentiator in the market place.