The Clean Tech Start-up Index - Origo Industries

Today’s entry from Greenbang’s special report on UK Clean Tech Start-up businesses is about Origo Industries, just one of the many companies found in the report.

• Founder/Chief Executive: Ian Houston
• Founding date: September 2007
• Number of employees: 8
• Turnover: Estimated £2.4million in the first two years
• Website: www.origo-industries.com

Origo Industries attempts to control, reduce and recycle CO2. That’s a big stretch. But in the short term the plan is to do this with cars and homes, and with the CO2 produce biofuels and other revenue- generating materials, such as foodstuffs and building materials.

The key ingredient here is algae.

Two projects are currently underway. The first is the EcoBox, a recyclable product for the car industry which acts as a chemical sponge to absorb CO2 from exhaust emissions. When full, the unit will be collected for commercial use. The other project is to capture and recycle of power generation CO2, both in the home and for industrial use. This applies the same principles, though on a much larger scale.

The Greenbang Barometer

Commercial launch of the products is expected in 2009 so it is still early days, but Origo’s premise is an interesting one – to allow individuals to use and potentially profit from their own personal emissions looks like being an compelling prospect for most consumers.

Of course, as Origo’s secret sauce is algae, it is attracting a lot of attention as this is an area that’s exploding with ideas and expertise.

If successful, the company says the products could halve current CO2 emissions from cars. EcoBox users, for example, could reduce CO2 emissions to below 120g/km. Meanwhile users of the home unit can collect and recycle waste CO2 into biofuel which could then be used to power their cars. When considering what it costs to fill up a tank today, that can only be a good thing.

Some early tests have been successful. Investors have injected money. We will wait and see with baited breath.