Orchestra Scientific, an ICIQ spin-off, tests cutting-edge technology to purify CO₂ at Familia Torres winery

19th February 2025 – CO₂ is a gas naturally found in the atmosphere but also a by-product of various industrial and agri-food processes. It is one of the most well-known and concerning greenhouse gases due to its impact on global warming and its century-long persistence in the atmosphere. However, it also has multiple applications across different industries. This is the vision behind Orchestra Scientific, a spin-off company of the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ): capturing carbon dioxide from industrial processes and purifying it for reuse or commercialisation, promoting sustainable circular economy, ultimately achieving zero or even negative emissions. 

The start-up was founded based on fundamental research conducted by the ICIQ group led by Professor JR Galán-Mascarós. In this showcase phase, Orchestra Scientific is testing its technology at Familia Torres winery to concentrate the CO₂ captured during the fermentation of wines. The winery reuses this biogenic CO₂ as an inert gas in wine tanks to prevent oxidation. 

These tests allow the spin-off team to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of their technology in real operating environments and at relevant industrial scale. Soon, this demonstration will pave the way for the commercialization in industries with low CO2 emission that are in need of high-purity CO2. However, the potential goes far beyond—thanks to its scalability, the technology will continue evolving through further testing and market deployment in larger emission-intensive sectors such as steel, cement, petrochemicals, and biogas production. 

Orchestra Scientific captures CO₂ from industrial processes at market-disruptive prices, all while generating zero waste. It has a unique value proposition for the market: 

• Unmatched versatility – Capable of capturing CO₂ from a wide range of industrial processes, including combustion gases, fermentation emissions, and biogas. 
• Customizable purity – The captured CO₂ can be tailored to different concentrations, even reaching food and beverage-grade quality. 
• Scalable and modular – Unlike existing solutions, this solution is designed for small and medium-scale operations, providing an alternative to buying CO₂ from gas suppliers at fluctuating prices. 
• Zero waste – A sustainable solution that generates no byproducts. 
• Unbeatable cost – With reduced prices, it offers an affordable and efficient way to capture and reuse CO₂. 

Microscopic CO₂-capturing crystals

Orchestra Scientific’s technology is based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). MOFs are microscopic crystalline structures with high porosity. The process begins with a metal atom that bonds with ligands—organic molecules containing carbon. This forms what is known as a metal-organic framework. These bonds are strong and create a unit, which, when connected to identical units, forms a crystalline network structure.

Orchestra Scientific’s technology is built around TAMOF-1, a network that can be easily produced using low-cost, non-critical materials. TAMOF-1 is a unique physical absorbent due to its high CO₂ absorption capacity and its ability to selectively separate CO₂ from a gas mixture with a wide range of compositions and concentrations. This separation is based on a CO₂-MOF interaction that is weak enough to allow for low-energy recovery of the captured carbon dioxide with high purity. This drastically reduces the energy consumption of the process compared to currently available technologies.

Technology and knowledge transfer

Orchestra Scientific exemplifies the scaling and optimisation of early results from fundamental research. The team discovered a new material with excellent gas-capturing properties. After patenting the material and continuing their research, they developed a technology that operates on an industrial scale, transferring ICIQ’s technology and knowledge to the industry for a tangible societal impact.

The spin-off is also involved in “Superval,” a European Union-funded project. In this initiative, Orchestra Scientific collaborates with other European institutions and organisations to develop scientific solutions for capturing and converting CO₂ and nitrogen components from combustion gases into useful products. Through this project, the team contributes their research and expertise to promote sustainability within the European Union framework.

Today, Orchestra Scientific is seeking early adopters in the agri-food sector, as well as partners to test, scale up the technology, and explore new applications.

The SUstainable Photo-ElectRochemical VALorization of flue gases – SUPERVAL project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe, Grant Agreement No. 101115456