27 Aug Climate action Startup Greenovate is bringing Modular approach to Carbon capture for real Net Zero
Greenovate a GreenTech R&D and engineering startup provides net zer o solutions to industries which cannot natively Net Zero.
Net Zero is a term we all know or should know. It refers to the idea that any and all our activity should contribute zero carbon emission. It is an essential step if we wish to “avert the worst impacts of climate change and preserve a livable planet.” Greenovate is a GreenTech R&D and engineering startup which is using tech innovation to provide solutions to achieve the targets of being net zero.
Part of AIC-IIITH’s EPAM Social Impact Innovation Program (ESIIP), an acceleration program funded by EPAM Systems India, Greenovate is combating climate change by developing and providing carbon capture systems for oil and gas, steel and cement industries. While the use of renewable energy is an option for many industries, we also need other tech innovations to meet the target of net zero. By their very nature, the oil and coal industry cannot be inherently net zero and transitioning to renewable sources of energy will take time. Similarly, steel and cement industries which form the basis of our economic system, also at present cannot be natively Net Zero. The solution Greenovate provides for this is Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), thus achieving real Net Zero.
Greenovate was founded by Ronak Mistry, a Chemical engineer who had been studying industrial emissions and realized scales and the volumes of the problem after studying the statistics about the emissions and found them mind-boggling. As a climate enthusiast he found that the problem was scary and there was a need to act. He has been working on the problem for 3 years.
CCUS itself is not a new technology. However the existing solution has limited utility. They are very large and can capture carbon emission only at the end points like chimneys. However, in an industrial setting, emissions take place in various forms and at various points (direct air capture emissions, point of source emission, pre-combustion emission, post-combustion emissions, process emissions, etc). There are many individual sites, each with many different individual equipment which create separate emissions. Ronak says that these separate emissions are neglected most of the time as existing large solutions cannot cater to these.
The innovation Ronak brings is to miniaturize the technology and make it modular. The core concept Geenoavte uses is well tested in traditional filters and chemical absorption. However, their engineering design is very unique and they have been able to achieve the compactness into the system to bring it down into two sizes smaller. Greenovate can at present create a 10 tons per day plant in 30–40ft X 8ft container size which can be placed next to the emitting equipment as opposed to the standard 40–50 ft tall tower with ground spacing of almost 500 or 700 square feet.
Greenovate’s miniaturized and modular Carbon Capture unit with Greenovate’s Founder Ronak Mistry (left).
It is thus very mobile, compatible and modular. This allows them to customize their technology for individual sites and equipment and allows them to capture carbon emissions from each and every individual point/equipment which are sources of emissions. Grenovate has thus developed a single system that can cater to all types of emissions. Thus, they achieve real Net zero. Greenovate is in fact in the process of adapting their system even for a crematorium in Pune.
Ronak started in 2019 during his final year of engineering at MIT Academy of Engineering. He worked with a team of his professors and juniors from the college and raised some funding from his institute. When COVID started in 2020, Ronak also used the time to understand the Startup ecosystem and converted the initiative from an engineering and R&D based project to a technology company. He also used the time to do a deep-dive of 7–8 months to understand the problem through a series of interactions with companies. These interactions led to the realization that the basic need was for something small, easy to operate and move around. With this understanding, Ronak leveraged basic process and chemical engineering concepts to develop Greenovate’s system.
Post COVID, Greenovate started getting support from the wider ecosystem. They were bootstrapped from the start, except for small financial support from their institute, which helped with the patent application, etc. Later Ronak secured EIR and NIDHI Prayas fellowship and support for IIT Madras. Greenovate is also part of Venture Center in Pune, and COEP’s Bhau Institute. Greenovate has also got support from CSRs like HDFC Parivartan, Dana Inc. and Cummins. Finally, in December 2022 they got support from ESIIP. They also gained recognition through awards from the likes of 2022 UNDP Youth COlab, RSN Network by US Consulate, Automotive Research Association of India and Michelin. Greenovate’s R&D lab is based in the College Of Engineering Pune [COEP] who provided him an 800 square feet space in the college. Grenovate also collaborates with the students, professors and other laboratories of COEP.
According to Ronak, the AIC-IIITH program helped as its program design gave Greenovate a lot of freedom to explore the full potential of their ideas. Earlier program grants received by Greenovate came with a lot of restrictions on utilization in terms of buying assets, usage in operations, etc. The EPAM grant means they can overcome those limitations. Also, monthly bootcamps and mentoring has helped Greenovate in understanding business aspects of the startup.
Ronak says the main challenge he faced was a lack of understanding of entrepreneurship as an engineering student and lack of networks. His current challenge is to complete his pilots and get his products certified for full market launch. They got their first paid pilot for idea validation from an independent infrastructure provider in Kutch. Greenovate says they spent a lot of time in idea validation across various states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, etc. based on recommendations of GDC IIT Madras. Now Greenovate is planning more pilots.
Greenovate’s upcoming project is looking to capture 50 tons of CO2 per year. Having developed the Carbon Capture System, Greenovate is looking to develop a post-capture system for the utilization/disposal of the captured carbon. Their long-term goal is to set up an entire value chain for CCUS and create a source to end the carbon marketplace. In the short term, they are also looking for international pilots for their system.
Ronak says running a startup has been a great learning experience as he now understands the importance of not being restricted to one particular area or one particular agenda, but envisioning things from a broader and larger perspective. He has developed a more holistic understanding.
Edited by Ravi Sarkunan.
This is the 3nd part of #StartupImpactStories series on Social Startups support by AIC-IIITH’s EPAM Social Impact Innovation program (ESIIP) funded by EPAM India. You can see the full series here.