The technology, developed at the University of Porto and patented by the institution, focuses on hollow fiber membranes, which promise superior performance to conventional membranes in gas separations, combined with high thermal and chemical stability. Professor Adélio Mendes, the technology's inventor and majority shareholder of HyCarb, leads the transition of scientific knowledge to industrial valorization.
The cSieve project aims to raise the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of these membranes (CMSM), whose research at the University of Porto dates back to 1999. The focus is on three gas separations with high economic impact: oxygen production from air for oxy-combustion processes, CO₂ capture and purification from exhaust streams, and hydrogen recovery from natural gas mixtures.
The consortium responsible for development includes HyCarb, the University of Porto, HyLab, and ENC Power. U.Porto will continue scientific development and create an advanced simulator, while HyCarb will scale the technology to 150-fiber modules. HyLab will validate the modules in laboratory and industrial environments, aiming to reach TRL 5.
The support from COMPETE 2030 has been crucial in accelerating the technology's development and enhancing its competitiveness, mitigating significant technological and scaling risks in the transition to hollow fiber membranes and anticipating its market entry.
