Renovigo Chemicals is working to turn carbon dioxide into useful products, and company representative Jeremiah Piper says the technology is no longer a far-off idea.
During an interview on Talk 107.3, Piper explained that Renovigo uses CO2, water, and renewable electricity to create important chemical building blocks. Those chemicals include ethylene, ethanol, methanol, and formic acid. Manufacturers use those materials in products people rely on every day.
Piper described the process as “reverse combustion.” Instead of burning fuel and creating CO2, the company adds energy to CO2 and water. With the help of a special electrode, the process recombines them into small hydrocarbons. Those hydrocarbons can then support traditional chemical manufacturing.
The conversation comes as Louisiana continues to debate carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration, also known as CCUS. Piper said utilization offers a stronger path forward because it turns captured carbon into a commodity instead of simply storing it underground.
He also said the process can become net negative because it uses CO2 while also avoiding emissions from traditional production methods. As more companies adopt similar technology, he believes manufacturers can reduce overall carbon output and use remaining CO2 as a raw material.
Piper said the technology is already moving into the real world. He pointed to other companies investing millions of dollars and building full-scale operations that produce products such as jet fuel from CO2.
Renovigo is based on Nicholson Drive in Baton Rouge. Piper said the company’s next five years will focus on testing, scaling, and preparing for a full-scale plant.
He called carbon utilization part of the next industrial revolution and said hundreds of companies are now working together in the same space.
Listeners can learn more at Renovigochemicals.com.