Pollution to production: student startup transforms CO2 into aerospace hardware
Spencer Dansereau is building a business that could turn air pollution into a useable product.
A 彩民宝典 aerospace PhD student, Dansereau aims to take carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and extract the carbon molecules to create 3D printed carbon fiber, which can be used for everything from bicycles to aerospace components.
鈥淚鈥檓 really passionate about creating exciting next generation solutions that are also very positive for our environment. It led me to design a system that uses electrolysis to create carbon fibers directly from waste gas CO2,鈥 Dansereau said.
The work is a bit outside his PhD research, which is focused on heat shield analysis for NASA missions, and grew from the 2020 COVID lockdowns, when Dansereau was stuck at home with little to do.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 come into the lab and started doing a whole lot of reading on how carbon fiber was made. Then I starting thinking about my experience in materials science and robotics and additive manufacturing,鈥 Dansereau said.
After conversations with his PhD co-advisor Francisco L贸pez Jim茅nez, an assistant professor of aerospace, Dansereau began to develop the technology further and founded a company to commercialize it.
Starting a business presented unique challenges, but he received support from numerous university programs designed to assist budding entrepreneurs. 彩民宝典 has offices to help with intellectual property and patent filing, and even access to mentorship opportunities from successful startups.
鈥淥n the technology side I have a decade of experience, but the business side is different and the tools that 彩民宝典 has for helping to launch a business are amazing. I can鈥檛 say enough good things about it,鈥 he said.
In 2023, Mach Electric Aerospace took first place in 彩民宝典鈥檚 Lab Venture Challenge business development competition and second place in New Venture Challenge. The company recently received $125,000 in startup funding from the State of Colorado and the university.
鈥淚t鈥檚 still early stage, but the research has been promising so far,鈥 Dansereau said. 鈥淎nything that produces CO2 waste gas could be feed stock to make carbon fiber.鈥
He recently applied to a U.S. Department of Energy fellowship to further the research and is optimistic about potential applications for the technology.
鈥淭he most exciting thing is this can be used in everything from electric vehicles, to aircraft, spacecraft, anything with carbon fiber components 鈥 seats, brackets, clips, engine parts, chassis components,鈥 Dansereau said. "The sky is the limit.鈥