Xebec partners with CarbonQuest to reduce carbon emissions in NYC

Xebec Adsorption Inc., a global provider of clean energy solutions, is pleased to announce it has signed an exclusive partnership agreement with CarbonQuest to reduce carbon emissions in New York City buildings. Xebec’s CO2 separation technology, specifically designed for this application, will be integrated into CarbonQuest’s Building Carbon Capture system. CarbonQuest has developed a patent pending “4-Step Carbon Capture Process,” which enables the separation and liquefaction of CO2 from natural gas. The captured Sustainable CO2 will be sequestered or used in manufacturing or other industry. This partnership will bring a timely and cost-effective solution for property owners looking to meet their sustainability goals and reduce their exposure to the new Local Law 97 regulation. As a result, the partnership opens significant market opportunities for Xebec’s advanced CO2 capture technologies through CarbonQuest’s process.

In April 2019, the New York City Council passed the Climate Mobilization Act, which included a provision (Intro 1253) that limits greenhouse gas emissions from buildings over 25,000 square feet. Intro 1253 became Local Law 97 in May 2019, and now covers approximately 60,000 NYC buildings. Emissions reduction goals are 40 per cent by 2030 and 80 per cent by 2050, benchmarked against 2005 levels. The limits have been set in three phases for 2024-2029 (Phase 1), 2030-2034 (Phase 2) and 2035-2050 (Phase 3) and are measured in kilograms of CO2 equivalent per square foot. Any emissions above the limits will result in penalties which are set to progress in severity over time.

CarbonQuest’s initial project with Xebec is focused on the decarbonization of a multi-family property in New York City.

The first Carbon Capture unit will be installed at a multi-family property in Manhattan with a well-respected property owner. The project is expected to cut 60-70 per cent of CO2 emissions from natural gas usage. The estimated reduction in overall annual CO2 emissions will be 25 per cent and is based on the combined carbon intensity of the building’s annual natural gas and electricity usage. The carbon capture process is expected to reduce the building’s carbon emissions such that the building is expected to be below the annual emissions limit.

“We’re excited to be collaborating with Xebec on our quest to decarbonize buildings. In urban cities, buildings are by far the number one source of carbon emissions. Our mission is simple: to enable these urban building owners to decarbonize now; thereby directly addressing the biggest source of emissions and decreasing environmental impact.

In New York City, buildings are responsible for over 70 per cent of the city’s carbon emissions (NYC Mayor’s Office of Sustainability). New York City’s adoption of Local Law 97 is a leading example of how cities can address carbon emissions and meet their sustainability goals. Approximately 60,000 buildings will respond, resulting in what Urban Green Council estimates to be a $20 billion retrofit market for decarbonization solutions. The majority of these buildings consume natural gas and our “Building Carbon Capture” systems help building owners reduce up to 70 per cent of their natural gas emissions before they are emitted into the atmosphere. Our initial system will remove an estimated 700 tons of C02 emissions annually and enable an overall 25 per cent reduction in carbon emissions. This groundbreaking project will enable our first forward-thinking customer to meet the city’s sustainability goals and avoid millions of dollars of penalties over the lifecycle of the project.

We believe that Distributed Carbon Capture and Utilization (DCCU) is a critical segment of the overall Carbon Capture and Storage ecosystem and that Building Carbon Capture is one of the most important Distributed Carbon Capture and Utilization technologies to immediately address climate change and advance urban building decarbonization. Applied at scale, we have a real opportunity to make a measurable impact in the battle against climate change,” said Shane Johnson, president and chief executive officer, CarbonQuest.

“It’s a privilege for Xebec to work with CarbonQuest, a pioneer in the field, on this first of a kind project. Their carbon capture process opens a significant market opportunity for our compact and reliable equipment for CO2 separation applications.

The new regulations in NYC present a large-scale opportunity for Xebec to work with CarbonQuest to move forward our mission of decarbonizing the future. The new regulation appropriately incentivizes solutions such as ours and will help drive the implementation of new clean technologies.

Due to the unique nature of our products, we have been able to design a modular and compact unit which can be installed in the basements of these buildings. Building owners will hopefully recognize the benefits and cost savings of this novel carbon capture solution as they look to reduce their emissions instead of paying a pollution penalty,” said Prabhu Rao, Ph.D., chief operating officer, Xebec Adsorption Inc.