The Catalyst Review October 2024 - 16

Movers & Shakers
Samuel Hess Ph.D.
CEO of UniSieve AG, Zurich, Switzerland
Dr. Hess received his B.S. in 2011, his M.Sc. (biotechnology) in 2013, and his doctorate in 2017 from ETH.
In addition to his activities at ETH Zürich, including a post-doctoral assignment, he completed projects
at the University of Berkeley (US) and the University of Hiroshima (JP.), resulting in over 20 scientific
publications and patent applications. The work at UC Berkeley was focused on genetic engineering using
virus vectors. At the University of Hiroshima, a UV blocker coating that is transparent to visible light using
carbon quantum dots was developed. While completing his doctoral studies in Chemical Engineering,
Samuel developed a unique molecular sieving membrane technology, which was commercialized when
he and Elia Schneider co-founded UniSieve AG in 2018.
UniSieve is dedicated to " Decarbonizing Heavy-Emitting Industries via Sieving Membranes, " which
focuses on chemical separations and point-source carbon capture. Samuel and his team began by
creating a customer base, conducting fundraising activities to finance technology commercialization,
and taking care of various other aspects needed to establish a high-tech company. He is excited about
entering the growth phase of UniSieve, which includes completing demonstration trials and delivering
commercial units that support their broad client base. Email address: samuel.hess@unisieve.com
The Catalyst Review asked Dr. Hess to share his thoughts on how molecular sieving can achieve
decarbonization within the chemical industry.
Over the past decades, the chemical industry has built up assets worth billions. Now, it faces the enormous challenge of decarbonizing
these assets quickly while staying profitable. A chemical plant heavily depends on separation and purification to reach, for example,
the grade specifications for chemical feedstocks. Today, these separation steps are done via thermal separation processes such
as distillation or adsorption. These massive installations are low in flexibility and modularity and consume nearly half the energy
needed in a chemical complex. On a global scale, separation accounts for over 10% of the global energy used. In order to minimize
chemical processing emissions and increase profitability, there is a need to find attractive alternatives to energy-intensive thermal
separations. UniSieve's approach to solving this problem involves using crystalline molecular sieves, which, in addition to their ability
to conduct many catalytic processes, also possess a highly precise sieve structure and exhibit perfect pore-size distribution.
Molecular sieving is a separation principle based on size exclusion wherein smaller molecules can permeate the membrane while
larger ones are retained. Since the discovery of molecular sieves such as Zeolites and Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs), research
institutes around the world have tried to synthesize composite membranes. UniSieve managed to create a platform technology for
creating a polymeric carrier matrix that can be combined with different species of molecular sieves, making these ideal materials
accessible to industrial large-scale separation applications. The key feature of the membranes is the integration of the molecular
sieves into every single pore of the polymeric carrier matrix, enabled by UniSieve's patented process. Compared to other membrane
technologies, UniSieve membranes can efficiently separate molecules that vary only by a fraction of an angstrom in diameter (such
as propylene from propane), allowing for efficient separation of a broad range of molecules. This unique membrane technology has
been found to exhibit the highest precision, broad variability, and outstanding performance, as noted below:
Highest-precision: the pore size is so precise that the slightest deviations in size are enough to guarantee a high degree of
product purity. One example is the removal of propylene from a complex polymer unit off-gas containing similar molecules like
propane, ethylene, ethyne, butylenes, nitrogen, etc.
Broad variability: by adjusting the crystalline sieves within the membrane, the mesh size can be tuned to the sub-Angstrom level,
making it applicable to many separation challenges, such as point source carbon capture, hydrocarbon separation, or hydrogen
purification.
Outstanding performance: The high-performance level results in very short investment payback times, minimal maintenance
and downtime, and simple remote control of the unit.
By switching from thermal separation to mechanical sieving, UniSieve's membrane-based solution is up to 90% more energy-efficient
than thermal separations, resulting in the following customer benefits production capacity: increased production capacity; direct
chemical cycling eliminating the burning of polymer off gasses; flaring avoidance leading to extraction of valuable molecules at
various scales; reduced OPEX; and minimized emissions. Direct emission reduction lowers energy demand, and UniSieve's carbon
capture solution can remove remaining point-source CO2
emissions for storage or usage.
Upcoming Special Feature
Integrating Heterogeneous Catalysis & Biorefining Towards Biobased Chemicals: Biocon
Pilot Facility
16
The Catalyst Review
October 2024

The Catalyst Review October 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Catalyst Review October 2024