CaliCO₂: from laboratory to start-up

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Légende

The process developed by the start-up CaliCO₂ is based on electrolysis-assisted CO₂ capture using layered double hydroxides. © Adobe Stock

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The history of CaliCO₂ takes us back to the early 2000s. Alain Seron, a process engineering researcher working on the treatment of pollutants, became interested in layered double hydroxides (LDHs) owing to their affinity for anionic substances, particularly carbonate anions. “That’s when I had the idea of using LDHs to capture carbon dioxide,” he explains, “because when CO₂ dissolves in water, it forms carbonate species that can be captured by these materials through an anion-exchange process.” This discovery was followed by a series of projects, in partnership with industry in particular, to develop this alternative decarbonisation process. “We demonstrated its high potential for CO₂ capture and also its adaptability to a wide variety of gases and carbon dioxide concentrations.” 

Research is continuing with electrochemist Stéphanie Betelu. The aim is to optimise the process, and in particular the electrochemical regeneration of LDHs to enable their reuse over repeated cycles. By combining several techniques in a new way, the researchers describe the mechanisms and kinetics of ion transfer both on the surface and inside these materials. Their work is paving the way for the implementation of CALICO, electrolysis-assisted technology to capture and release dissolved CO₂, for purposes of recovery. “Unlike existing processes, CALICO is based on an ingenious concept that significantly reduces electricity consumption by using renewable materials made from recyclable components,” points out Stéphanie Betelu.

Six patents filed

Following a process involving several scientific publications and the filing of six patents, “the idea of setting up a company began to take shape, the aim being to take this disruptive technology from the laboratory to proof-of-concept and then bring it to market. It’s a technology likely to interest industries emitting high levels of CO₂ in their flue gases, such as the cement, steel and waste incineration sectors,” points out Victor Liger. CaliCO₂ was founded in March 2025 as a joint venture between the start-up studio 4elements, the two researchers – shareholders but still BRGM employees – and BRGM Invest, BRGM’s investment arm. Bénédicte Pesset explains: “This commercialisation initiative is based on an innovative set-up: the involvement of a start-up studio to found and manage the company CaliCO₂, an exceptional investment by BRGM Invest at the seed stage, an exclusive licencing agreement covering past and future patents, and a two-year collaborative R&D contract to facilitate the transfer of skills.”

Based at BRGM, the start-up won Bpifrance’s i-Lab 2025 innovation competition and has raised €1.5 million in funding. “This funding will allow us to accelerate the industrial roll-out of this innovative technology and to build a team able to support our future partners,” say Vanessa Amaral de Oliveira and Jean-Baptiste Goffart, managers of CaliCO₂. Research is continuing in order to improve process performance and increase maturity.