Partnership Delivers a Novel, Highly Efficient Ammonia Synthesis Catalyst

Companies Begin Work on Improved Ethylene Oxide Catalyst

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.: Copernic Catalysts, Inc. (Copernic) today announced that, in collaboration with Schrödinger, Inc. (Nasdaq: SDGR), the companies have surpassed the final technical milestone for their jointly-developed ammonia synthesis catalyst, branded NeptuneTM. The Neptune catalyst demonstrated an ammonia yield that was over two times higher than that of competing catalysts under real-world reactor environments, achieving the success criteria outlined in the collaboration agreement.

Ammonia is one of the most critical industrial chemicals due to its use in nitrogen-based fertilizers that support the global food system. However, ammonia production is energy-intensive and is currently responsible for nearly one percent of global CO₂ emissions. By achieving commercial yields at significantly milder conditions, Copernic’s Neptune catalyst has the potential to increase the capacity of industrial-scale ammonia manufacturing plants by up to 47 percent, translating to up to $110 million in additional annual profits on the plant level and up to a 23 percent reduction in energy consumption from the Haber-Bosch process.

“We believe we have developed the best-performing base-metal ammonia catalyst since the first ammonia catalyst was introduced over 100 years ago,” said Jacob Grose, Ph.D., chief executive officer and co-founder of Copernic. “By coupling Copernic’s expertise in catalyst design and high-throughput experimentation with Schrödinger’s advanced simulation methods, we’ve enabled our customers to make most efficient use of their ammonia plants, resulting in significant cost savings and a smaller carbon footprint.”

Copernic is currently scaling up the production of its Neptune catalyst with its toll manufacturing partners. It is planning one or more pilot-scale demonstrations in 2026/27 with input from its prospective customers, including some of the largest names in the ammonia industry. Upon successful completion of the pilot, Copernic will be ready for the first commercial sales of Neptune to ammonia plants around the world.

Building on the success of the Neptune catalyst, Copernic and Schrödinger have initiated work on their next joint project, designing a selective ethylene oxide (EO) catalyst. Large-scale production of EO is a critical building block for plastics, textiles, detergents, and other essential chemicals. Designing an EO catalyst with optimized selectivity would maximize EO yield while minimizing feedstock losses and carbon emissions, driving higher efficiency, lower costs, and reduced environmental impact in large-scale chemical production.

“Reducing the carbon footprint of ammonia and EO production is a critical step toward decarbonizing the industrial chemical industry,” said Mat Halls, Ph.D., senior vice president of materials science at Schrödinger. “This milestone demonstrates what’s possible when computation and experiment are leveraged in tandem to enable a rational approach to materials design. We’re thrilled to have collaborated with Copernic on this achievement, and we look forward to building on this success with EO going forward.”

About Copernic Catalysts
Copernic Catalysts is a startup leveraging computation/AI and high-throughput experimentation to develop and commercialize chemical catalysts that make bulk chemical production both cheaper and more sustainable. Copernic has raised $10 million to date in venture capital funding, including investments by Breakout Ventures, Future Ventures, Engine Ventures, and Innospark Ventures. It has raised an additional $4 million in non-dilutive grant funding, including grants from the U.S. Department of Energy (ARPA-E) and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (MassCEC). Copernic is planning to kick off its next fundraise (Series A) in 2026 to advance the development of its transformational pipeline of improved catalysts. Visit us at: www.coperniccatalysts.com

Fonte: Business Wire