How three engineers built a revolutionary CO₂ machine - from zero to working prototype

For Carbyon, engineers Dries, Luuk and Jef developed a unique machine that captures CO₂ from the air. No manual. No example to copy. Just a goal. And a whole lot of stubborn drive.

‍

What if you could just take CO₂ off the air?

For start-up Carbyon, Bright Innovators Jef (mechanical engineer), Dries (electrical engineer) and Luuk (mechanical engineer) worked on an ambitious project: a full-continuum CO₂ capture machine, ready to be tested outdoors. Without a written plan, but with a clear mission. The deadline was tight, the budget limited and the technology complex. They started from scratch, researched, designed, called suppliers flat, tested, redesigned and assembled. All within a few months. The result: a working prototype.

‍

Vision but no design

Carbyon had a vision: build a machine that permanently filters CO₂ out of the air, without batch processes, without interruption. But it stopped there. There was no off-the-shelf design, no known system, and barely any experience with industrial construction processes. The challenge: putting high-tech conditions (pressure, temperature, corrosion) into a compact, robust machine and doing so with limited resources and a tight deadline.

‍

How do we successfully get out of the laboratory?

Before the collaboration began, Brightnewday 's team explored with the client how they could step out of the lab with the technology to create an initial machine. Previous attempts had failed. How could Brightnewday still make the difference to become successful? Brightnewday understood best how Carbyon worked and soon had the idea to involve a third party to become successful: VDL Industrial Modules. That choice ensured that Brightnewday coupled its own role with the collaboration with VDL IM to start building a first prototype together perfectly prepared as a team. The customer's success always comes first, not the form of cooperation or the ego of Brightnewday's team.

‍

From theory to practice

Dries, Luuk and Jef set to work as an electrical and mechanical team to create a machine that had never been built before. They gathered specs, searched for deliverable components, coordinated with suppliers and iteratively built the system. Everything had to be controllable: temperature, flow, pressure. They thought along, suggested concepts, accelerated decisions and spurred the team into action. "We brought theory to practice. The time for dreaming was over, it was time for action, for real pioneering," says Luuk.

‍

Evidence provided at last

In June, Carbyon's first test rig will be operational outside. The machine will not only be tested, but also serve as a proof of concept for investors and a stepping stone to the Alpha 2. Without Dries, Luuk and Jef, the deadline would not have been met. They translated Carbyon's vision into tangible hardware that can now actually capture CO₂.

‍

How a ventilator was also a needle in a haystack

Looking for a specific fan with strict requirements (corrosion-resistant, airtight, high temperature), Dries wrote to more than 20 suppliers. "Finding the right one at the right price, that was a feat. But succeeded. And it feels extra good when it then works effectively."

‍

Dreaming with our feet on the ground

"We are all very down-to-earth," says Luuk. "No drama, just deal with it. And if we don't know something? Then we ask. There's always someone in our network - within Brightnewday or outside - to help. That way of working gives you confidence. And room to grow."

‍

Brightnewday in one case? Without a doubt.

This case breathes Brightnewday: entrepreneurial (we help build pioneering work),warm (we grow together, even when things get exciting), pure (we are realistic, direct and constructive), and expert (we deliver technology that works, even if it didn't exist yet).