Arrakis Materials is converting CO₂ into valuable minerals, thus enabling both carbon storage and utilization. Arrakis Materials accelerates the natural reactivity of CO₂ with earth-abundant silicate minerals to produce carbon-negative versions of the carbonates used as mineral additives in polymers, paper, adhesives, paints and coatings, etc.
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Ioana Knopf
Ioana Knopf is the founder and CEO of Arrakis Materials, a startup converting CO₂ into valuable minerals. Originally from Romania, Knopf relocated to the United States to pursue her interests in chemistry and environmental science and earned her Ph.D. in CO₂ utilization from MIT. After spending five years in early-stage startups, transitioning technologies from bench-scale research and development to full-scale production, Knopf started Arrakis Materials with the mission of turning CO₂ into a useful resource.
TECHNOLOGY
Critical Need
Carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) is an essential component in the effort to limit global warming to 1.5°C. However, there is a shortage of technologies that can sequester CO₂ permanently, at scale, and in an economically viable manner. These technologies are especially needed in hard-to-decarbonize sectors such as cement manufacturing, where about half of CO₂ emissions come from the chemical reaction of limestone calcination, and therefore cannot be eliminated by changing fuel or increasing energy-efficiency.
Technology Vision
Arrakis Materials is developing a new process for manufacturing carbon-negative minerals by converting CO₂ and naturally abundant silicate minerals into carbon-negative versions of the carbonates used in polymers, paper, adhesives, paints, etc.
The company’s first target mineral is precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC), a synthetic limestone used as a high-performance mineral additive and currently manufactured using an energy-intensive process. By replacing the traditional starting material in PCC manufacturing (limestone) with calcium silicate (wollastonite), Arrakis Materials will avoid existing production process emissions and incorporate CO₂ into the final product, thus reducing overall emissions by 0.6 tons of CO₂ per ton of PCC.
Potential for Impact
Arrakis Materials is converting CO₂ into valuable minerals to (a) effect permanent carbon storage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and (b) leverage mineral utilization for economic viability.
Manufacturing carbon-negative PCC would reduce emissions by over eight metric tonnes of CO₂ per year globally and pave the way to manufacturing carbon-negative versions of other mineral additives.
Arrakis Materials’ technology is agnostic to the source of carbon dioxide. The company envisions its process initially utilizing CO₂ from point sources such as kilns for lime or cement manufacturing. Long term, it could also integrate with direct air capture technologies to facilitate carbon removal.