NETL researchers recently advanced their OASIS (O₂ from Air Separation at Intermediate Scales) technology toward commercialization as part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Energy I-Corps (EIC) Cohort 22. This innovation provides a cost effective, on-site, and high-purity oxygen generation solution for small to moderately sized applications using unique sorbent technology.

Oxygen production has long been a significant energy drain for industrial processes, acting as a parasitic load that can increase the power requirements of many advanced energy systems by 30% or more. Traditional large-scale cryogenic plants, while effective for massive operations, leave mid-scale and remote users struggling with high delivery costs, inconsistent purity, and/or unreliable transportation, especially in the face of adverse weather. The urgent need for low-cost, scalable oxygen generation to overcome these economic barriers and unlock new industrial applications has been a persistent challenge, but one that OASIS is now uniquely positioned to address.

At the heart of OASIS lies a revolutionary perovskite sorbent technology. “Our technology utilizes perovskite oxides in an air separation process at lower temperatures than other sorbent-based methods,” said Eric Popczun, principal investigator for the OASIS team. “This allows us to selectively pull oxygen from the air with incredible efficiency, achieving 95-99+% purity without the complexity, capital expense, or massive energy consumption typically associated with high-purity oxygen production. It’s a game changer for applications that need reliable, high-quality oxygen without the burdens of traditional supply chains.”

The NETL team, which also includes researchers Lee Ann Carnahan and Dallas Mullett, recently completed the intensive two-month EIC Cohort 22 program. This initiative, spearheaded by the DOE's Office of Technology Commercialization, is designed to equip researchers with essential commercialization principles, focusing on market readiness and identifying value propositions. Their participation was critical in refining the path to market for their project, “Low-Temperature Air Separation Using Perovskite Oxides.”

The insights gained during the EIC program have been transformative for the team. “The I-Corps experience truly shifted our perspective,” Popczun notes. "We gained a comprehensive understanding of current market trends and the specific benefits and limitations of existing technologies. More importantly, we identified our target customer base and established a clear commercialization strategy for moving OASIS from the lab to industry. It reoriented our research efforts to focus on the pain points faced by industry, ensuring our solutions are practical and market-driven.”

As the OASIS technology matures toward a higher technology readiness level, this strategic engagement with industry stakeholders is proving invaluable for guiding future research and forging crucial partnerships. By offering a lower-cost alternative to cryogenic air separation for a wide range of applications, OASIS stands to significantly reduce energy costs and enhance energy security. DOE’s investment in programs like the Energy I-Corps ensures that innovations from national labs, like OASIS, not only tackle critical scientific challenges but also successfully transition to the market, benefiting the nation and strengthening U.S. competitiveness for years to come.

NETL is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory dedicated to innovating and accelerating the nation’s energy solutions in hydrocarbons, geothermal energy, and critical minerals production. The Lab further strengthens its impact by engaging with industry, academia, and other stakeholders through four strategically located Centers of Excellence: Coal, Critical Minerals and Advanced Alloys, Oil & Gas, and Geothermal. With research sites in Albany, Oregon; Morgantown, West Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, NETL operates as one laboratory to create advanced energy technologies that support DOE’s mission and enable affordable, reliable, and secure energy to fuel human prosperity.