High Wire Networks Inc (HWNI)

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Mantra receives further funding for CO2 recycling technology
Capture, Oct 09 2009 (Carbon Capture Journal)

- Mantra Venture Group Ltd. has signed a second agreement with the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) in support of its Electroreduction of Carbon Dioxide (ERC) technology.

Mantra received its first contribution from NRC-IRAP in April 2009 with the purpose of establishing the technical basis for electro-reduction of carbon dioxide to formate using Mantra's ERC technology.

Mantra says its technology has advanced significantly since the initial reward, including an increase in efficiency to 89.66% from 46.24% through the use of a new cathode structure.

Over the course of the second project, called "Electroreduction of Carbon Dioxide Development Project 2," Mantra's objective is to explore suitable materials for the anode used in the electrochemical reactor, develop an efficient and effective method to separate and concentrate the formate product, and develop an efficient and effective method to convert the formate product into formic acid. Mantra will continue to work in collaboration Kemetco Research Inc. to see the project through to completion.

Under the terms of the agreement, NRC-IRAP has agreed to contribute up to 50% of costs associated with the development of Mantra's ERC technology, in addition to business and technical advisory and development support. The project is scheduled to begin this month.

The ERC process, "the Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide", combines captured carbon dioxide with water to produce high value materials, such as formic acid and formate salts, which are conventionally obtained from the thermochemical processing of Fossil Fuels. However, ERC has an advantage over the established thermochemical methods for converting carbon dioxide to liquid fuels.

While thermochemical reactions must be driven at relatively high temperatures that are normally obtained by burning fossil fuels, ERC operates at near ambient conditions and is driven by electric energy that can be taken from an electric power grid supplied by hydro, wind, solar or nuclear energy (forms of renewable energy).

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