Skytree Launches First Direct Air Capture Unit for Onsite CO₂ Generation

Amsterdam and Portland, Oregon –September 14, 2023–Skytree, a pioneering climate tech company dedicated to combating climate change through innovative CO₂ capture and reutilization solutions, today announced the launch of Skytree Cumulus, the company’s inaugural Direct Air Capture (DAC) modular unit. Once installed onsite at a vertical farm, greenhouse, or any Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) business, Skytree Cumulus captures CO₂ from the ambient air and makes it available for use by indoor farmers and greenhouse growers in the production of food, algae, vaccines, and flowers.

“This is an incredibly exciting moment for Skytree as we move forward with the commercialization of our first unit for onsite carbon capture and reutilization,” said Rob van Straten, Skytree CEO. “By enabling the generation of CO₂ onsite at farms and greenhouses, we are taking a significant step forward in helping CEA businesses reduce their carbon footprint and transition away from the fossil fuel industry as a source for CO₂ supply.”

Skytree’s proprietary DAC technology captures CO₂ from ambient air, filters it using a patented process, and stores it in pressurized buffer tanks from where it can be accessed and reused by any business in regular need of concentrated CO₂. Skytree Cumulus, the first commercially available modular unit, will deliver a reliable and uninterrupted supply of up to 10 kg of CO₂ in a 24-hour period, delivering clean and affordable CO₂ to CEA businesses while alleviating procurement and transport challenges. Users in need of additional CO₂ can acquire and connect additional units.

"CEA businesses sourcing CO₂ from the fossil fuel industry may be surprised to learn that every step of the process - from capture to cleaning to liquifying to storing in cylinders and then transporting to farms - adds up to 50% harmful emissions,” van Straten continued. “Every ton of CO2 capturedat an oil refinery can lead to 1.5 tons of emissions released back into the atmosphere. We're providing CEA businesses the opportunity to operate independently of the oil and gas industry while enjoying guaranteed access to carbon dioxide, all without the headaches of cost increases and supply chain challenges, or having to deal with the ordering and handling of metal cylinders.”

Skytree also announced the launch of its Pioneer Program, offering early adopters the opportunity to experience the benefits of Cumulus and DAC technology at a reduced price, for a limited time. Participants will get priority delivery when Cumulus units ship.

In addition to its debut unit, Skytree is also developing a second, larger DAC unit with an eye toward expanding to building materials and enabling other hard-to-abate industrial industries to permanently move away from carbon dioxide sourced from the fossil fuel industry.

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About Skytree

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Amsterdam, Skytree harnesses CO₂ from ambient air through the power of direct air capture technology (DAC). By providing local, onsite CO₂ generation across multiple markets including indoor farming, greenhouses as well as mineralization, Skytree enables a transition away from fossil fuel-based industrial processes and avoids transport to where the CO₂ is needed.  The company's core technology captures CO₂ from ambient air and stores it in pressurized buffer tanks where it can be accessed for multiple applications. The modular technology can be set up quickly at any location and scaled to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes.

Born out of the European Space Agency (ESA), during the development of a CO₂ scrubber, space scientists evaluated over 50 sorbents. Skytree founder, Max Beaumont, was a system engineer on this team and spun out the technology through the ESA incubator program 'ESA-BIC'. With a decade of research & development, the company has since registered 17 patents, in 5 patent families across US, Europe, and China and is ready to monetize the technology through multiple use cases.