Popular Science – It takes between 25 and 40 gallons of water to dye 2.2 pounds of fabric. Multiply that by the millions of T-shirts, track pants, and other textiles made each year, and you get two huge environmental problems: millions of tons of chemical-laden wastewater and depletion of freshwater.

Instead of H₂O, DyeCoo’s process uses supercritical carbon dioxide, which has fluidlike properties. The fabric absorbs nearly all the dye while generating no wastewater, and 95 percent of the CO₂ is recycled into the next batch. Plus, reduced energy and chemical use cuts production costs 30 to 50 percent.

Nike, which has a partnership with DyeCoo, used it to dye an Olympic singlet for Kenyan marathoner Abel Kirui, and Adidas put its first 50,000 DryDye T-shirts on sale this summer.

H₂O savings: 100%
CO₂ savings: Up to 60% less emissions
Cost savings: 30–50%

Source: Popular Science

September 18, 2012 (WEESP, The Netherlands) – FeyeCon and Separex, two leading companies in sustainable technology development, have entered into a strategic alliance effective August 9, 2012. The alliance creates the world’s largest conglomerate of expertise in high pressure and carbon dioxide technology.

Both entities will continue to commercially operate under their respective names, while talents and resources will be blended to capitalize on each group’s strengths.

“I’m excited about the alliance and it’s potential to bring the usage of our technology to a higher level,” asserts Dr. Geert Woerlee, CEO of FeyeCon.  An equally excited Dr. Michel Perrut, founder of Separex now serving as the organization’s Chairman of the Board, notes, “I hope this is a new start for new successes.”

Both organizations have long histories of developing novel sustainable technologies. Separex offers process development services and designs and builds innovative, premium quality high pressure components and process systems ranging from small to industrial production scale. FeyeCon provides process and product development services as well as serves as an IP venture fund to bring in-house developed technologies to market. FeyeCon and Separex’s process and manufacturing technologies have been implemented globally in numerous industries, including the textile, pharmaceutical, chemical, food, fragrances, cosmetics, microelectronics, instrumentation and aerospace markets.

In a time when mitigating water, energy and chemical use in process and manufacturing industries is paramount to preserving the planet and its people, sustainable technology development could not be more important. This alliance promises to foster a new era of sustainable innovations.

BEAVERTON, Ore. (February 7, 2012) – NIKE, Inc. (NYSE:NKE) announced today it has entered into a strategic partnership with DyeCoo Textile Systems B.V., a Netherlands-based company that has developed and built the first commercially available waterless textile dyeing machines. By using recycled carbon dioxide, DyeCoo’s technology eliminates the use of water in the textile dyeing process. The name“DyeCoo” was inspired by the process of “dyeing” with “CO2.” The partnership is illustrative of NIKE, Inc.’s long-term commitment to designing and developing the most superior athletic performance products for athletes and its overall sustainable business and innovation strategy.

“Waterless dyeing is a significant step in our journey to serve both the athlete and the planet, and this partnership reinforces Nike’s long-term strategy and deep commitment to innovation and sustainability,”says Eric Sprunk, Nike’s Vice President of Merchandising and Product. “We believe this technology has the potential to revolutionize textile manufacturing, and we want to collaborate with progressive dye houses, textile manufacturers and consumer apparel brands to scale this technology and push it throughout the industry.”

Nike has been exploring this technology for the past eight years and expects to showcase cutting edge apparel using textiles dyed without water at events later this year, with an eye towards scaling the technology for larger production volumes.

“We’re very excited to be partnering with Nike to help drive this together and believe the benefits and impacts of this technology are significant,” says Reinier Mommaal, CEO of DyeCoo. ”There is no water consumption, a reduction in energy use, no auxiliary chemicals required, no need for drying, and the process is twice as fast. The technology can also improve the quality of the dyed fabric, allows for greater control over the dyeing process, enables new dye capabilities and transforms fabric dyeing so that it can take place just about anywhere. We hope more industry leaders will join us in leveraging this innovative technology in the near future.”

Conventional textile dyeing requires substantial amounts of water. On average, an estimated 100-150 liters of water is needed to process one kg of textile materials today. Industry analysts estimate that more than 39 million tonnes of polyester will be dyed annually by 2015. Nike says it expects DyeCoo’s supercritical fluid carbon dioxide, or “SCF” CO2 dyeing technology, to have a particularly positive impact in Asia, where much of the world’s textile dyeing occurs. As this technology is brought to scale, large amounts of water used in conventional textile dyeing will no longer be needed, nor will the commensurate use of fossil fuel-generated energy be required to heat such large sums of water. The removal of water from the textile dyeing process also eliminates the risk of effluent discharge, a known environmental hazard. The CO2 used in DyeCoo’s dyeing process is also reclaimed and reused.

DyeCoo is believed to be the first company to successfully apply the SCF CO2 process to the commercial dyeing of polyester fabric, and research is already underway to apply the technology to other natural and synthetic fabrics. SCF CO2 technology is safely utilized at scale in other industries such as the decaffeination of coffee and the extraction of natural flavors and fragrances.

About NIKE, Inc.
NIKE, Inc., based near Beaverton, Oregon, is the world’s leading designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel and accessories; Cole Haan, which designs, markets and distributes luxury shoes, handbags, accessories and coats; Umbro Ltd., a leading United Kingdom-based global football(soccer) brand; and Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories. For more information, visit www.nikeinc.com and follow@Nike. To learn more about Nike’s commitment to sustainability, visit www.nikebetterworld.com.

About DyeCoo
DyeCoo Textile Systems B.V. was founded in March 2008. DyeCoo Textile Systems is the world’s first supplier of industrial CO2 dyeing equipment and is a leading innovator in CO2 dyeing technology and processes. DyeCoo Textile Systems B.V. is a spin-off of the Dutch Feyecon Group, an innovator in thefield of CO2- process technology. Visit www.dyecoo.com

Nike Contacts:
Media
Mary Remuzzi
(503)532-8767

Investors
Kelley Hall
(503)532-3793

DyeCoo Contact:
Reinier Mommaal
+ 31 (0)294 41 00 25
Mail: info@dyecoo.com

Denver CO – May 27, 2011 -

Winners were awarded for their outstanding work in eight catagories – Solar (W.S. Sampath), Wind (Kathryn Johnson), Smart Grid (Robert Erickson), Bio-Based Fuels and Chemicals (Al Weimer), Transportation (Bryan Wilson), Efficiency (Gregor Henze), Energy Storage (Amy Prieto), and Water (Charles Henry). Winners stemmed from University of Colorado, the Colorado School of Mines and Colorado State University.

Says CCIA Executive Director Christine Shapard: “Putting the spotlight on these remarkable individuals and their contributions to Colorado’s economy is part of our mission. These men and women are making an impact both in Colorado and globally. By successfully commercializing their research, they are helping Colorado maintain its prominence in the international cleantech arena and we are genuinely grateful.”

Governor John Hickenlooper and State Rep. Cheri Gerou, R-Evergreen, joined the event for a bill signing ceremony for Senate Bill 47, the “Colorado Science and Technology Innovation Reinvestment Act.” SB 47 will divert 50 percent of the future growth of income tax payments from the cleantech and bioscience industries so that it can be used to fund research institutions and start-up cleantech companies. SB 47 is a first-of-its-kind funding mechanism for Colorado. It is expected to generate about $2 million per year for the industry starting in 2013.

Celebrate Cleantech Research insert – info about winners and their projects (PDF)
CO Senate Bill 47 more info

Use of supercritical carbon dioxide in gas turbine engines has become a highly researched topic due to its potential to substantially improve electrical power production. Carbon dioxide is an extremely efficient working fluid in its supercritical state. As a result, more electrical power can be produced per unit of fuel (40 percent more in some cases), ultimately reducing operating costs and payback periods, as well as significantly improving environmental impact.

The symposium is an academic workshop organized to advance supercritical carbon dioxide power cycle technology. The workshop brings together researchers, industry partners, and end users to learn about advancements in the field, discuss priorities, and establish a critical path for technology development.

A visit to Barber-Nichol’s Supercritical CO₂ Brayton Cycle test loop marked the highlight of the event. Symposium attendees were able to see equipment that’s been running the process which Supercritical CO₂ Energy Production is based on. (Photo right)

For more info visit: http://www.sco2powercyclesymposium.org/

Weesp, The Netherlands – May 24, 2011 - FeyeCon opened its doors to members of the media today, giving them an all access pass to their R&D and laboratory facilities. The media tour, organized by Agentschaap NL, brought journalists together with companies recognized for their innovation and sustainability practices in product development and production. FeyeCon took the opportunity to explain CO₂ technology and benefits of CO₂ applications to journalists from China, Japan, Singapore, USA, Korea, India, Brasil, Germany and The Netherlands.

FeyeCon showcased their newly constructed biorefinery with emphasis on replacing fossil fuels with green alternatives (derived from algae), using natural colorants for food products, and antioxidants in cosmetics. Also highlighted was FeyeCon’s drying equipment for food applications and the use of encapsulation and taste masking in pharmaceuticals.