CarbonQuest Inc., a Spokane Valley-based carbon-capture technology company, has partnered with an undisclosed Washington state beverage industry client, marking the company’s initial foray into the food and beverage market, according to a press release. 

The partnership aims to capture approximately 22,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions over a 15-year period using CarbonQuest’s point-source carbon capture technology. The technology will catch carbon emissions from the client’s facility before they can be released into the atmosphere, and subsequently liquify the captured CO2 on-site. The liquefied CO2 is purified to meet the beverage-grade industry standard set by the International Society of Beverage Technologists, allowing it to be reused in their products. 

A representative of the company could not be immediately reached. 

Shane Johnson, president and CEO of CarbonQuest, says in a release that the new line of service will help industrial companies meet the sustainability needs of their customers while also stepping away from a volatile CO2 market. 

“We’re excited about entering this integral market in the CO2 reuse space by providing food and beverage-grade CO2 as a service,” Johnson says. 

Liquid CO2 is used for carbonation, chilling, bottling processes, and maintaining product freshness and quality, making it an essential ingredient in the food and beverage industry. Over the last couple of years, commercial CO2 has been plagued by supply shortages and fluctuations, causing significant price increases, production disruptions, and quota curtailments. In most of the U.S., CO2 is hauled over long distances, generating additional emissions.  

CarbonQuest’s point-source capture and reuse system will allow industrial customers to meet or supplement their CO2 supply through recycled CO2 from their facilities, according to the release. 

CarbonQuest, which was founded in 2020 by a group of Spokane-area environmental technology entrepreneurs, completed its first Series A funding round in August, raising an estimated $36 million from Houston, Texas-based Riverbend Energy Group, as reported by the Journal of Business. Since then, the company has secured an additional $20 million in funding from Energy Capital Ventures, of Chicago, and New York City-based Aligned Climate Capital. 

The infusion of funds is intended to double the company’s workforce and expand on three areas of technology, including biogenic sources of CO2, utility infrastructure, and other hard-to-abate facilities, Johnson told the Journal. CarbonQuest plans to staff up to 60 employees by year-end at its Spokane Valley headquarters, located at 3010 N. First, just south of the Spokane Business & Industrial Park.