New Cutting Edge Carbon Dioxide Utilization Facility Opens in Tucson
On December 6, 2022, Dimensional Energy, a global leader in fully integrated carbon dioxide utilization, celebrated the grand opening of its first-of-a-kind facility that transforms carbon dioxide into the fuels and products that people use every day.
Dimensional Energy’s technology combines two simple ingredients, carbon dioxide and water, through a patented and innovative , renewable-energy-powered process to create sustainable aviation fuel and replace other fossil-fuel products ranging from plastics to cosmetics. These products will be used to power air travel, manufacture and transport consumer products and reduce harmful pollution.
Dimensional Energy co-founder and CEO Jason Salfi was joined at the event by President of United Airlines Ventures Mike Leskinen. United Airlines has shown their confidence in Dimensional Energy by being an early investor and signing a fuel purchase agreement for 300 million gallons of
Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). “United has made early investments in cutting-edge technologies at all levels of the supply chain, staking out our position as a leader in aviation sustainability and innovation,” said United Airlines Ventures President Mike Leskinen. “As the only airline committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 without relying on carbon offsets, we recognized that our collaboration with Dimensional would not only help meet our sustainable aviation fuel goals, but could transform the aviation industry.”.
The newly opened Dimensional Energy Tucson Technology Center at the UA Tech Park is a strong signal to the market that Dimensional Energy’s innovations are ready to scale. “Partnerships in difficult to decarbonize sectors of our economy such as aviation, trucking, shipping, cement, and paper are unlocking Dimensional’s potential to address 10% of global emissions with our holistic model for using emissions from one industry to reduce emissions from another,” added Dimensional Energy co-founder and CEO Jason Salfi.
“Dimensional Energy has developed a platform that can leverage the trillions of dollars of existing infrastructure that our society relies upon for food, clothing, shelter, and transportation for a transition to a circular economy,” explained Salfi. “Dimensional has the partnerships and patented and proprietary technology to make a meaningful reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions today.
Accelerated by the recent passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, many businesses have goals of capturing their abundant carbon dioxide emissions without releasing them into the atmosphere. One way to avoid releasing carbon dioxide is to permanently store it underground. However, this isn’t possible in every case. HereDimensional sees the ingredients for renewable hydrocarbons that can be transformed at the site of carbon capture into products like sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and that can drop into existing infrastructure and reduce and eventually eliminate the demand for newly extracted fossil fuels.
“Dimensional Energy’s new facility in Tucson will create hundreds of jobs while reducing carbon emissions. It’s amazing to see the work of Arizona’s innovators, and I look forward to the impact that this new plant will have on our community. Congratulations to the whole Dimensional Energy team on this exciting milestone,” said United States Senator Mark Kelly.
Aviation is accountable for approximately 3% of global emissions, and industry is responsible for another 11%. By capturing industrial emissions on the front end and making fuels for aviation, trucking, shipping and other uses that cannot be electrified, Dimensional will help reduce global emissions on the gigaton scale.
“Arizona leads in innovation, and we’re proud of Dimensional Energy’s groundbreaking efforts to produce sustainable aviation fuel and products that will boost jobs and promote a cleaner environment,” said Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema, Chair of the Senate Aviation Subcommittee.
“Our desire to make the world a cleaner and more sustainable place drives our technology innovation,” said Chief Science Officer, Dr. Bradly Brennan. “To ensure we have a livable planet for generations to come, we have no choice but to use carbon dioxide as a base chemical feedstock. Our reactor and catalysts overcome the challenges in converting carbon dioxide into fuels and products. And our technology is ready for deployment today.”
Dimensional Energy’s newly opened facility in Arizona is the center of its efforts to scale its technology, which they plan to deploy around the world. Taking advantage of Arizona’s climate-tech friendly environment, Dimensional Energy located its facility at the University of Arizona Tech Park in Tucson. They have been hiring former workers from oil, gas and mining, as well as graduates of Arizona’s universities, and others who have the skills necessary to help to produce renewable hydrocarbon fuels, in Arizona and around the globe.
“Dimensional is a platform technology that can produce drop-in replacements for the hydrocarbon products that our economy will continue to need and for which electrification is not a viable solution. Chemical engineering in its most elegant form optimizes a whole system to maximize outputs, balance material and energy flows, and eliminate waste. Utilizing carbon dioxide is an extension of this engineering best practice. We are pushing this artform to the next level at Dimensional and I am excited to apply my decades of experience in fuels synthesis to this problem,” elaborated Dimensional Energy Senior Vice President Engineering Bruce Logue.
In addition to this facility in Tucson, Dimensional Energy currently has projects in development in New York, California, Richmond, BC, and Greece. Dimensional Energy has just completed a year long engagement with Elemental Excelerator, who made the initial introduction to United Airlines in 2021.
About Dimensional
Dimensional Energy is a leader in the transformation of unavoidable carbon dioxide emissions into sustainable fuels and products. Dimensional’s patented and proprietary technology harmonizes our industrial economy with nature by closing the loop on the industrial carbon use, thereby moving society toward a just and circular economy. The technology uses only carbon dioxide, water, and renewable energy on a scale that can meet the needs of 9 billion lives as nations collaborate for a just energy transition. The Dimensional Reactor and utilization platform allows companies to recycle their emissions to replace the fossil carbon in their supply chain. The technology presents a scalable alternative to newly extracted fossil carbon and de-fossilizes our economy. Dimensional Energy recognizes that up to now, energy infrastructure development has disproportionately impacted communities of color and low-income communities. The company is committed to a different path and partners with local communities to ensure those impacted are included in the implementation and profit structure of our solutions. We envision a world free from fossil fuel dependency and an energy transition that is in alignment with globally agreed upon climate justice practices outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
About United
United's shared purpose is "Connecting People. Uniting the World." From our U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates the most comprehensive global route network among North American carriers. United is bringing back our customers' favorite destinations and adding new ones on its way to becoming the world's best airline. For more about how to join the United team, please visit www.united.com/careers and more information about the company is at www.united.com. United Airlines Holdings, Inc., the parent company of United Airlines, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL". For further information about our environmental impact, review United's Corporate Responsibility Report and Annual Report on Form 10-K, available at crreport.united.com and ir.united.com.
