Lightweight, Small Volume, CO2 Removal Technology for Underwater Breathing Apparatus (UBA) and Undersea Platforms

Carbozyme will develop a novel closed circuit rebreathing apparatus based on biomimetic principals. Our objective is to catalyze the conversion of carbon dioxide to ionic equivalents that can be readily absorbed into seawater, eliminating gas bubbles. This design has the unique advantage of being able to operate continuously for the full duration of the oxygen supply. Installation of the rebreather will be significantly easier since it will be designed to fit on the oxygen tank and utilize the same hosing. Furthermore, it will work equally well independent of water temperature, making it possible to operate over a temperature range of -2 to +41°C. Another important aspect of our design is that it protects against simple but dangerous mistakes such as the diver failing to replace a used cartridge. Overall, Carbozyme’s design is targeted at being easier to use, easier to breath through and safer than existing UBA CCR methods. Carbozyme’s approach to minimize market access time and cost is to license this technology to a preferred developer currently operating in this field that has demonstrated high quality reputation and experience in military and government operations. BENEFITS: One key benefit of our work is to create a new class of CCR where the diver is not limited by the CO2 capture capacity of the CCR but merely by dive tables and oxygen availability. Moreover, the device is designed have a low pressure drop making respiration easy, removing another limitation found in current CCR technology. Carbozyme’s rebreather will be integrated with the compressed gas tank on the diver’s back, decreasing the level of skill needed for installation. Perhaps most importantly it is designed to increase safety by operating in a parallel and continuous mode. We believe these features are valuable not only to the military but to recreational divers as well. We will commercialize by licensing the design to one of the major companies in this field