Producing hydrogen from ‘sour gas’ waste streams for Emissions Reduction Alberta,
Alberta Innovates

Thiozen, the first company ever to produce clean hydrogen from “sour gas” waste streams, today announced it has received a total of $3.2M in funding for a clean hydrogen project in Alberta, Canada. Administered by Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) and Alberta Innovates, the funding is part of an overall $57 million commitment by the Government of Alberta to support 28 projects that advance the hydrogen economy, reduce emissions, and create jobs in Alberta.

Projects cover the spectrum of hydrogen production, storage, transmission, distribution, and usage. The Thiozen project will produce zero-emission hydrogen, which will be used to decarbonize onsite operations as a way of addressing one of the energy industry’s leading challenges: finding economically viable ways to decarbonize remote industrial locations.

“The Government of Alberta recognizes that sour gas processing is a major cost associated with energy supply, and appreciates both the economic and environmental value of removing the hydrogen sulfide and producing a new energy stream in hydrogen,” said Ryan Gillis, co-founder and President at Thiozen. “We’re honored to be selected to participate in this project and to help Alberta leverage an entirely new method of producing hydrogen.”

Thiozen will use ERA funding to install its proprietary technology at a gas processing site in Alberta. The Thiozen platform will facilitate the “de-souring” – or removal – of hydrogen sulfide from the sour natural gas streams while simultaneously generating zero-emission hydrogen.

“Hydrogen has the potential to transform global energy markets and to create trillions of dollars of economic activity,” said Nate Glubish, Minister of Technology and Innovation with ERA. “Alberta’s government is committed to investing in new technologies to develop a hydrogen market and to ensure that Alberta is the Hydrogen capital of Canada. These investments will help to grow and diversify our economy and secure our future as a global energy powerhouse for generations to come.”

If successful, the eight projects funded through ERA’s Accelerating Hydrogen Challenge are expected to deliver annual greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions of 13 thousand tonnes, cumulative reductions of 81 thousand tonnes by 2030, and 493 thousand tonnes by 2050.

“Thiozen’s selection by the Government of Alberta reflects the urgency of finding efficient decarbonization strategies for some of Canada’s most important industries,” said Gillis. “This is truly a transformational moment for Canada’s hydrogen economy and for the energy industry as a whole.”

About Thiozen’s Breakthrough Hydrogen Production Technology
Thiozen’s patented chemical cycle produces hydrogen from hydrogen sulfide – the “sour gas” waste stream – thereby replacing traditional hydrogen production. This process will dramatically reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the technology will improve air quality and respiratory health in communities near current hydrogen infrastructure while providing cost-sensitive firms a path to both procuring additional hydrogen and lowering the carbon intensity of their products.

About Thiozen
Thiozen is an MIT spinout and the first-ever company to commercialize a process that can produce hydrogen from sour gas waste streams. By developing a low-cost, low-emission method of producing hydrogen, Thiozen helps meet the energy industry’s growing demand for clean, affordable hydrogen. Thiozen recently validated its technology in an in-field pilot unit in the Permian Basin. The 3-year-old company has headquarters in Pasadena, CA.

Yango, the international ride-hailing service, has partnered with Sparklo, a global cleantech company revolutionising the recycling industry. As part of this collaboration, Sparklo users in Dubai can redeem points for 10% and 20% discounts on their Yango rides. Points are collected by recycling plastic bottles and aluminium cans up to two litres through Sparklo’s innovative reverse vending machines (RVMs), known as Sparklomats. This activity will become the first stage in big collaboration which underscores Yango’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact and supporting eco-friendly initiatives.

This partnership is in line with the UAE’s environmental initiatives, such as the ban on single-use plastic bags in effect this month and Dubai Municipality’s goal to collect and recycle 3 million pieces of plastic packaging in the emirate. Yango’s commitment to contributing to the nation’s ESG objectives is demonstrated by using AI & data-powered mapping, routing, and navigation systems. These systems optimise route planning by analysing vast amounts of historical traffic data and real-time updates, to determine the most efficient routes, reducing travel time and fuel consumption while minimising carbon emissions.

Islam Abdul Karim, General Manager, Yango GCC said: “We are thrilled to partner with Sparklo, a company that furthers our vision for a sustainable future. This collaboration allows us to offer our users not only a premium ride experience at a discounted rate but also an opportunity to contribute to environmental conservation in a more accessible and rewarding way. Sustainability is a core mission at Yango, and we are committed to integrating eco-friendly practices into our operations to reduce our carbon footprint with the right partners to support the UAE’s environmental conservation goals. ”

Sparklo has been at the forefront of promoting sustainable practices worldwide through its cutting-edge software and hardware solutions that utilise AI and machine learning to optimise recycling processes. With over 250,000 users globally and key local partnerships like Dubai Municipality, Carrefour, Accor, and ADNOC, Sparklo has collected almost 30 million plastic bottles and aluminium cans worldwide. In the UAE alone, Sparklo has amassed over 150,000 users, making it the most popular sustainability app in the region. Each day, Sparklo collects more than 180,000 bottles and cans for recycling, which is equivalent to collecting 2.5 bottles per second and almost 2% of all consumption in the country

Maxim Kaplevich, Founder and CEO of Sparklo, commented, “Our approach at Sparklo is to motivate people to recycle by offering engaging rewards. For this approach to work, we must give users the ability to redeem points for discounts on products they use in their daily routine. Our collaboration with Yango is exactly what our users need – it allows them to seamlessly integrate sustainable practices into their everyday lives by redeeming points for taxi discounts. We are committed to providing our users with practical redemption options that support their daily activities and encourage a more sustainable lifestyle.”

Users can start recycling today and enjoy the benefits of discounted rides in Dubai, contributing to a greener and more sustainable future. Sparklomats are conveniently located across Dubai and Abu Dhabi in supermarkets, malls, cinemas, petrol stations, and other public places. Users can easily locate the nearest Sparklomat using the Sparklo App, which features an interactive map.

This long-term partnership aims to bring even more convenience and value to the communities in the UAE, with plans to expand the initiative to Abu Dhabi in the coming months.

About Yango

Yango is a tech company that transforms global technologies into everyday services tailored for local communities. With an unwavering commitment to innovation, we reshape and enhance leading cutting-edge technologies from around the world into seamlessly integrated daily services for diverse regions.

Our mission is to bridge the gap between leading world innovations and local communities, fostering connections and enhancing everyday living experiences. In addition to the ride-hailing service, Yango Maps, Yango Delivery, Yango Play, Yango Tech, Yango Robotics and Yasmina, an advanced Arabic human-like AI voice assistant, are also available in the UAE.

About Sparklo

Sparklo is a global cleantech company dedicated to revolutionising the recycling industry and encouraging sustainable practices worldwide. Through its innovative reverse vending machines (RVMs) known as Sparklomats, the company motivates users to recycle plastic bottles and aluminium cans by offering engaging rewards. Sparklo’s cutting-edge software and hardware solutions utilise AI and machine learning to optimise recycling processes, making it fun and easy for individuals to contribute to a sustainable lifestyle.

• New center in Bangalore aims to enhance AI, Cloud, & DevOps capabilities of Airties

Airties, a global leader of managed Wi-Fi solutions for broadband service providers, today announced it has opened its first office in India – a new R&D center based in Bangalore, focused on enhancing the AI, cloud, and DevOps capabilities of Airties for use in Smart Wi-Fi deployments.

Airties, headquartered in Paris, France, currently has other significant offices in Belgium, Turkey, and the United States, and employs approximately 400 people around the globe. The new center in India aims to employ around 100 specialized software engineers focused on further extending the capabilities of Airties Cloud management platform. To mark the occasion, the company recently held an official office opening ceremony in Bangalore attended by Metin Taskin, CEO and founder of Airties; Sachin Chickballapur, CTO of Airties; Mujdat Pakkan, Executive Vice President of Engineering; Siddharth Das, General Manager of Airties in India; and local dignitaries including Dr. Ashwath Narayan C. N., Honorable Member of Legislative Assembly, Karnataka, former Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka and Minister of Electronics, Information Technology – Biotechnology, Science and Technology, Higher Education, Skill Development, Entrepreneurship and Livelihood in Government of Karnataka.

“At Airties, we recognize that our success at enabling leading ISPs to innovate and differentiate comes directly from our ongoing commitment to software R&D,” said Metin Taskin, CEO and founder of Airties. “Our new, world-class software innovation center in Bangalore aims to attract the very best engineers interested in applying their skills to enhance the broadband experience for fiber, cable, and fixed wireless providers the world over.”

“The huge talent pool in India for AI, data science, cloud-native software development, and DevOps will allow us to build an exceptional team that will address our rich feature roadmap, working closely with the other Airties teams, partners and customers worldwide,” said Sachin Chickballapur, CTO of Airties.

Airties’ unique hybrid cloud-edge software architecture leverages both the embedded intelligence in customer premises equipment and the cloud to maximize responsiveness and home Wi-Fi performance. Airties software portfolio includes Airties Edge, smart Wi-Fi software for gateways/routers/extenders, which intelligently directs consumers’ devices (laptops, tablets, phones, game consoles, IoT, smart home devices, etc.) to the best available Wi-Fi access point and frequency band based on real-time network conditions. The software, based on industry standard Wi-Fi EasyMesh™, can also turn existing home gateways into an intelligent Wi-Fi mesh access point, improving the quality and stability of connectivity within the home. Airties Cloud helps monitor and orchestrate Wi-Fi across homes, optimizes broadband gateways and mesh extenders to ensure a better quality of experience, delivers insights on connected devices, and provides APIs to power operator’s customer facing support apps. Airties Orbit, is a continuous test automation platform for broadband service providers, customer premises equipment (CPE) manufacturers, and system-on-chip (SoC) manufacturers to support Smart Wi-Fi integrations and deployments.

Airties has been recognized with many prestigious industry awards, including: “Best Home Wi-Fi Solution Award” from Broadband World Forum; “Best Wi-Fi Service Provider Solution” and “Best Home Wi-Fi Product” awards from Wi-Fi NOW; “Best Wi-Fi Innovation” and “Best-In Home Wi-Fi Network” awards from Wireless Broadband Alliance; “Best Broadband Customer Experience” from Cable & Satellite International; and many others. Additional information about Airties can be found at: www.airties.com.

About Airties
Airties is a leading provider of managed Wi-Fi solutions to operators around the globe. The Smart Wi-Fi portfolio from Airties includes Airties Edge, smart Wi-Fi software for gateways; Airties Cloud management platform and its companion app; Airties Orbit, a continuous test automation platform; and Wi-Fi mesh extenders. Operators turn to Airties for the design, implementation, and ongoing optimization of their customers’ broadband experience. Airties’ customers include AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, Sky, Telia, Telstra, T-Mobile US, Vodafone, and many others.