Latest Masdar Talks episode showcases pioneering innovations supported by The Catalyst at Masdar City

In the latest episode of Masdar Talks, Cinar Kurra, CEO of The Catalyst – the region’s first start-up accelerator focused on sustainability and technology – was joined by Catalyst-supported companies Volts, QS Monitor and Seramic Materials. The companies joined Kurra to explain how their innovations are tackling global sustainability issues and the supports they have received from The Catalyst at Masdar City.  

CEO of Volts, Alexandr Kiyanitsa, discussed how his company produces and develops smart residential energy storage systems for use with solar panels; “We provide customers with simple access to customized, mobile, clean and affordable energy in their own home. With a VOLTS system in their house, people can forget about electrical issues like breakdowns, voltage surges, or lack of power. By installing our solar panels, customers can have autonomy from traditional electricity suppliers.”

Volts' novel solution eliminates the need to be connected to the electric grid and reduces the customer’s carbon footprint, with the potential to mitigate the same amount of carbon dioxide as planting 710 trees annually.

QS Monitor has developed a digital platform to test, inspect and verify products across the food supply chain, helping to reduce wastage and improving monitoring in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way.  

Burak Karapinar, CEO of QS Monitor, said; “Food and water waste and contamination imposes risks on both the environment and food security on a global level, and links directly to the well-being of all of us on an individual basis. Our water treatment solutions are 100% chemical-free and our risk assessment models mitigate repercussions and utilize resources better.”

He added; “Above all, we live in an era where sustainability is no longer a choice but a necessity. We wanted QS Monitor to represent some of the changes that we would like to see in the world.”

Speaking about how his company aims to reduce waste and provide energy storage solutions, Dr Nicolas Calvet, CEO of Seramic Materials, discussed the company's unique idea to upcycle industrial solid waste into sustainable and patented value-added ceramic products in the technical ceramics and construction materials markets.

“Our vision is a more sustainable present achieved by developing a circular economy, where Seramic Materials will become a global reference as the pioneer in recycled ceramic, and contributing to driving industry toward a near-zero waste goal. Our eco-friendly products decrease the dependence on importing raw materials, and could reduce carbon emissions in the range of 20 to 80%, depending on the product,” he said.

Seramic’s first commercial product is a thermal energy storage material called ReThink Seramic Flora, which is made from 100% recycled ceramic material. The ceramic material is the key component to storing intermittent renewable energy such as solar and wind or even excess grid electricity in the form of heat, which is later converted to electricity on demand.

By developing a solution with fully recycled materials, Seramic Materials is delivering a more affordable final product in a nascent energy storage market.

Highlighting the support received from The Catalyst throughout Seramic Materials journey, Dr Calvet concluded, “We definitely value the funding and mentoring provided, along with the facilities to bring our technology to market. Our brand-new showcase laboratory, located at the Masdar Tech Park, is the first-of-its-kind in the GCC dedicated to industrial solid waste recycling and valorization. Thanks to this unique facility, we already developed 4 commercial products and have 12 patents pending.”

The Catalyst is a partnership between Masdar and BP and aims to accelerate the development of viable technology businesses across the sustainability spectrum through funding, training and mentorship.

For more information, please visit www.catalyst.ae.