Twelve's breakthrough Opus™ System transforms CO2, water and renewable energy into chemicals and fuels through the power of electrochemistry.
"Industrial Photosynthesis" by Origin House for Twelve™
Industrial Photosynthesis
Better chemicals made from CO2 via electrochemical production
The world is made from hydrocarbons, otherwise known as petrochemicals. They are the molecular building blocks for thousands of everyday products —from chemicals and materials to fuels and pharmaceuticals.
For over a century, we have extracted carbon for chemical production from fossil fuels through industrial processes that create greenhouse gas emissions. Now, we can change this paradigm through the power of electrochemistry, using CO2 as the feedstock for thousands of essential products instead of fossil fuels.
How? With our industrial-scale electrochemical production technology, the Opus™ System that performs CO2 electrolysis, a process that works like photosynthesis. Just like a plant turns CO2, water and renewable energy into useful carbon-based products, the Opus System transforms CO2, water and renewable electricity into new useful products like jet fuel and materials with zero emissions, and eliminate the need for fossil fuels as a feedstock.
For over a century, we have made these products by extracting carbon from fossil fuels through industrial processes that create greenhouse gas emissions. Now, we can change this paradigm through the power of electrochemistry, using CO2 as the feedstock for thousands of essential products instead of fossil fuels.
"Better Chemicals" Voice of Dr. Etosha Cave, Co-Founder & CSO, Twelve
The Opus™ System
Power-to-X Powerhouse
The Opus System is a PEM-based CO2 electrolyzer (PEM stands for polymer electrolyte membrane or proton exchange membrane, used interchangeably) that performs CO2 electroreduction (CO2RR), with novel transition metal catalysts that are engineered to convert CO2 into its component parts, the building blocks for countless materials and fuels.
The Opus™ System is an industrial-scale CO2 electrolyzer about the size of a shipping container.
The Opus System has three main parts
The water side (anode)
The gas side (cathode)
The electrical side
These three parts work together to transform CO2 into useful molecules that are currently made by refining fossil fuels.
The Opus™ Carbon Transformation System by Twelve is an industrial-scale CO2 electrolyzer that works like photosynthesis, converting CO2, water and renewable electricity into the building blocks for materials, chemicals, and fuels.
How The Opus System Works
Electrochemical reduction of CO2
"The Shiny Black Leaf" by Origin House for Twelve™ Voice of Nicholas Flanders, Co-Founder & CEO of Twelve
Tim Bekkedahl, Principal Engineer, Stack Testing at Twelve explains below how the Opus System works
"The main interface of our reaction is the Stack, where a series of membrane electrode assemblies, MEAs (catalysts), convert the CO2. The Stack is a very efficient and predictable way for us to apply the three main inputs of water, CO2, and renewable electricity, to our proprietary transition metal catalysts, which perform the carbon transformation.
The Stacks are the heart of The Opus System, which is the size of a large shipping container. The other components are:
1. Large tanks, pipes and valves that hold the water needed to supply our reaction: The water is circulated throughout the system to allow for even distribution of liquids to all our MEAs within our Stack.
2. Pipes, sensors, and valves that supply CO2 into the system: The gas comes from a large tank filled with CO2 within the facility and feeds a constant flow into the Stack.
3. The electrical infrastructure that allows us to apply a current onto the Stack: When combined with the flow of water and flow of CO2 gas, we are able to change the structure of the CO2 and create CO from it with the help of our MEA.
"The Process" Animation by Origin House x Maeva Pensivy for Twelve™
"The Lab" Images by Origin House for Twelve™
After we transform the CO2, the system's gas analyzer sees how pure the conversion is. We can change the different operating conditions to fit the needs of the downstream process. With our commercial demonstration facility set for jet fuel production in Moses Lake, WA, our team in Alameda is constantly testing and validating our Stack architecture to ensure the most robust operating conditions possible.
A very important part of The Opus System, and any of the systems we build, is that safety is the number one priority. We have many sensors and safety protocols within the system, and we’re constantly monitoring the different possible hazards. If there was ever for any reason a possible leak, the system will automatically shut off the current, stopping the reaction."
The Carbon Transformation Imperative
Eliminate global emissions by turning CO2 into products
With The Opus System we can realize industrial photosynthesis at scale, enabling broad-scale carbon transformation strategies that decarbonize and de-fossilize the production of chemicals and fuels via electrochemical production. Through the electrochemical production of hydrocarbons from CO2, we can eliminate both the emissions associated with chemical manufacturing and the need for fossil fuels as a feedstock for thousands of products.
With the Opus System we can realize industrial photosynthesis at scale, enabling industrial carbon transformation strategies that eliminate emissions by de-fossilizing the production of chemicals and fuels via electrochemistry.