The 2023 Mission Innovation Net-Zero Industries Award honors the world’s best innovations for industrial decarbonization. It recognizes the extraordinary efforts made by individuals and organizations in three distinct categories, two of which include Female Innovators and Outstanding Projects, for which Svante’s carbon-capturing nanomaterial, CALF-20 metal-organic framework (MOF) project, was also a global runner-up for this year.
The Female Innovators award category recognizes exemplary women who have broken barriers, shattered glass ceilings, and are driving change in industries.
Dr. Rezaei is a seasoned professional with over a decade of experience in industrial technology-oriented projects. She has led dynamic CO2 capture process modeling teams and managed cross-functional collaborations. Dr. Rezaei holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta, Canada. Her work is characterized by a strong commitment to sustainability and innovation — she has made significant contributions to the field of CO2 capture through her work at Svante and has been instrumental in advancing the state of industrial technology. She is an avid volunteer for various organizations and her leadership and technical expertise have been recognized and appreciated by her peers and colleagues.
“It is an honour to be recognized as Canada’s Top Female Innovator. I am deeply inspired by all the innovative women who were nominated in this category,” said Dr. Rezaei. “I am delighted that my daily work at Svante is toward a real action in tackling industrial point decarbonization and accelerating the global transition to carbon neutrality and it represented Canada and our company on the world stage”.
In addition to Dr. Rezaei’s recognition in the MI Net Zero Industries Awards, Svante was a global MI runner-up in the Outstanding Projects category, which recognizes projects that have revolutionized industries, disrupted the status quo, and set new benchmarks for decarbonization in energy-intensive industries.
CALF-20, which stands for Calgary Framework 20, was developed at the University of Calgary by Dr. George Shimizu. This new class of material has proven to be excellent for capturing CO2, as it has a high capacity and a high selectivity for CO2 over water and other molecules, such as nitrogen, sulfur oxide (SO2), nitrous oxide (NOx), and particulates. The sorbent material was further developed and commercialized by Svante, which uses it in its carbon capture structured adsorbent filter beds. The company has been using CALF-20 at its flagship pilot plant at a Chevron facility in Bakersfield, California, and at Lafarge Canada’s cement plant in Richmond BC.
“MOFs are a step change for the entire carbon management industry,” said Claude Letourneau, Svante’s President, and CEO. “CALF-20, when integrated into our structured adsorbent filter beds and process design, has some very special properties that make it optimal for capturing CO2 from heavy, hard-to-abate industries. I am incredibly proud of the world-changing work we’re doing with MOFs at Svante and the cutting-edge solutions that innovators like Dr. Rezaei are doing in our labs. It’s brilliant people like her that have truly made an impact on our success around the world.”
Svante recently announced a new commercial supply agreement with the world’s largest chemical producer, BASF, to scale up CALF-20.
Congratulations to Dr. Rezaei and to the entire Svante team! You truly make our company a great place to work.
