Sectors like maritime shipping, chemical manufacturing, and aviation cannot electrify their operations and rely on hydrocarbons for their energy density or chemical properties. At Oxylus, we believe that the source of those hydrocarbons matter. Today those sectors source those hydrocarbons from fossil fuels, meaning that they are responsible for 11% of global emissions each year. To reach net-zero, these sectors must switch their hydrocarbon source to water and recycled CO2. Fuels made from water and CO2 are called drop-in fuels, because they are chemically identical to fossil fuels and can be used in existing infrastructure and engines without any modification. However, conventional processes to combine water and CO2 into useful fuels are outdated, inefficient, and consequently expensive. 

Oxylus reinvents the process of making green methanol by using the only catalyst that can electrochemically make methanol out of CO2 and water. Electrochemistry is the most efficient way of catalyzing chemical reactions that would not naturally occur. In the traditional process, fuel producers combine green hydrogen and CO2 under intense heat and pressure to make green methanol, wasting most of the energy needed in the process. By using electrochemistry, Oxylus can increase the energy efficiency of this process by 2.5x. 

  
In simplest terms, Oxylus' reactor consists of a cathode (carbon conversion site), membrane (to allow protons to cross but not water), and anode (where water is split into protons and electrons). When a voltage is applied, the catalyst splits apart the molecules into their base atoms, adds protons and electrons, and produces methanol directly. Its hyper efficient and can be even cheaper than fossil methanol production. By unlocking a path to cost-parity with fossil fuels, Oxylus can hack market forces that will drive adoption of e-methanol across the world, convincing industry to do the right thing on a purely financial basis.   

By creating an e-fuel that directly converts CO2 into free methanol we will directly replace the need for virgin fossil fuels. These three sector use methanol and its derivatives today. Methanol can used directly as a fuel in ships, cars and trucks, is used in 2/3 of all chemical applications (from cosmetics to fragrances, thermoplastics to resins, paints to pharmaceutical solvents), and can be upgraded to jet fuel and gasoline.