Noya is at the forefront of enhancing carbon removal technology with its efficient and modular direct air capture systems. Their goal is to combat climate change by mass-producing these systems, which are designed to be powered by renewable energy. Noya’s vision includes establishing large-scale facilities capable of extracting millions of tons of CO2 from the atmosphere, thereby significantly contributing to carbon management efforts.
These low-power, modular units from Noya are designed to be assembled together, forming large-scale carbon extraction facilities.
The United Nations has emphasized the critical need for carbon dioxide removal from the atmosphere, in addition to reducing emissions, to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change. Direct air capture and storage is a key method for achieving this goal, and although still developing, there are numerous initiatives to expedite its growth to prevent severe climate change consequences.
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Noya’s Breakthrough in Carbon Capture Technology
Josh Santos ’14, an MIT alumnus, founded Noya to hasten the process of direct-air carbon removal. The startup focuses on a low-power, modular system that can be mass-produced and globally deployed. Noya intends to power these systems with renewable energy and place the facilities near injection wells for underground carbon storage.
Noya relies on external auditors to validate the quantity of captured carbon dioxide, selling carbon credits to assist organizations in achieving net-zero emissions goals.
Josh Santos likens their direct air capture systems to solar panels, but for carbon negativity, noting that these units can be stacked in a LEGO-like manner for scalability.
Noya, currently three years old, is constructing its first commercial pilot facility. They anticipate that their first full-scale commercial facility will have the capacity to remove millions of tons of carbon annually. Noya has secured significant pre-sales funding from various organizations, including Shopify and Watershed, for constructing these facilities.
Santos credits his MIT experience for shaping his ambitious approach to scaling carbon removal solutions.
Santos’ Journey and Noya’s Mission
Santos’ awareness of climate change grew from experiencing intense hurricanes in the southeastern U.S., which significantly impacted his worldview. At MIT, he studied chemical engineering with a focus on climate change and energy systems. His time at MIT, including participation in the LeaderShape workshop, reinforced his commitment to leveraging his education for societal betterment.
After graduating, Santos worked at Tesla and Harley Davidson on electric powertrains. He later realized that electric vehicle technology alone wasn’t sufficient to address climate change, leading him to co-found Noya with Daniel Cavaro in 2020.
Noya’s Strategic Development
Noya initially aimed to attach carbon capture devices to cooling towers. However, after the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, they shifted their focus to larger systems to qualify for new tax credits. Noya’s updated design involves combining thousands of modular units near existing injection wells for large-scale CO2 capture.
Each unit, similar in size to a solar panel, utilizes a fan to push air through channels filled with a carbon capture material. This material binds carbon from the air, and when saturated, a light vacuum extracts pure carbon.
Noya’s goal is for each module to remove approximately 60 tons of CO2 annually, avoiding the need for large, energy-intensive equipment used by other companies.
Noya’s Future Plans and Carbon Removal Market
From their Oakland office, Noya is fine-tuning an experimental module, with plans to launch a testing facility capable of removing 350 tons of CO2 per year by 2024. They aim to capture and remove thousands of tons of CO2 in the coming years, with their first commercial-scale facility targeting approximately 3 million tons of carbon removal annually.
Santos envisions replicating this design globally for a significant environmental impact. Noya has pre-sold all its carbon credits for the first five years, anticipating a high demand for quality carbon credits in the carbon removal industry, which also explores methods like enhanced rock weathering and ocean alkalinity enhancement.
Santos asserts the necessity for a substantial scale-up in the carbon removal sector, independent of government mandates. He advocates for regulations that require polluters to manage their carbon emissions, likening carbon removal to a public waste management service.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Carbon Removal Technology
What is Noya’s approach to carbon removal?
Noya is developing scalable and modular direct air capture systems to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. These systems are designed to be low-power and can be combined to create large-scale facilities. Noya aims to power these systems with renewable energy and situates them near injection wells for efficient carbon storage.
How does Noya’s technology work?
Noya’s technology involves modular units, each about the size of a solar panel, that use a fan to direct air through channels containing a carbon capture material. This material binds carbon dioxide from the air, and once saturated, a light vacuum extracts pure carbon. The goal is for each unit to remove approximately 60 tons of CO2 annually.
What are the goals of Noya’s carbon removal technology?
Noya’s goal is to mitigate climate change by mass-producing these carbon capture systems and deploying them globally. They aim to establish large-scale facilities capable of extracting millions of tons of CO2 from the atmosphere annually, contributing significantly to carbon management efforts.
How is Noya’s system unique compared to other carbon capture technologies?
Noya’s system is unique due to its low-power, modular design that allows for scalability. Unlike other direct air capture technologies that require large, energy-intensive equipment, Noya’s system directly applies electricity to the capture material, reducing inefficiency and cost.
What inspired Josh Santos to co-found Noya?
Josh Santos, an MIT graduate and co-founder of Noya, was inspired by his experiences with intense hurricanes in the southeastern U.S. and his education at MIT, where he studied chemical engineering with a focus on climate change. His work at Tesla and Harley Davidson also influenced his decision to address climate change through innovative technology.
More about Carbon Removal Technology
- Noya’s Modular Carbon Capture Technology
- United Nations Climate Change Strategies
- MIT’s Impact on Climate Change Solutions
- Direct Air Capture and Storage Overview
- Inflation Reduction Act 2022 and Carbon Capture
- Carbon Credits and Net-Zero Emissions
- Renewable Energy in Carbon Capture Technologies
- Carbon Removal Industry Trends
5 comments
Impressive work by Santos and his team. MIT always pushing the boundaries, this could be a game changer if they scale it right.
I read about this! but didn’t know it was this advanced, amazing how far we’ve come in carbon capture, keep it up Noya.
Renewable energy and carbon capture, a perfect match! Hope governments and companies invest more in these solutions, we really need it.
not sure if this is enough, we need more than just technology to beat climate change, what about reducing emissions in the first place?
wow, this is really cool technology, Noya’s doing great stuff, fighting climate change and all. Hope it works out.