The Creation of So Sponge

A Collaboration

So Sponge is the result of a collaboration between two researchers: Melaz Tayakout, professor at UCBL, and Elsa Jolimaître, research engineer at IFPEN.

Their work focuses on transition aluminas, porous aluminum oxide-based materials commonly used as active phase supports in heterogeneous catalysis for industrial chemical reactors (refining, petrochemicals, etc.).

However, these materials possess another property: the ability to condense gases below their saturated vapor pressure by confinement in mesopores.

They envisioned a new application by repurposing their use. Taking advantage of the affinity of solids for water vapor, they decided to leverage their thermodynamic properties to capture this vapor through capillary condensation.

By bringing these solids into contact with ambient air, their idea was to regulate humidity spontaneously and without external energy input, capturing water beyond a certain relative humidity threshold and releasing it below that point—just like a sponge with liquid water.

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An Ecosystem

The project was selected as part of the "Tech4Earth" call for projects, jointly supported by PULSALYS and the University of Lyon, which allowed them to validate the concept and led to the filing of a patent in May 2021.

Pulsalys' incubation program is dedicated to supporting innovative projects emerging from academic research and higher education. Through this program, So Sponge benefited from personalized support, access to funding, and a network of partners.

During the incubation phase in 2022, the two co-founders welcomed Guirec Courbon, who took charge of making the business project viable, leading to the official launch of So Sponge in early 2023.

This blog aims to share the progress of the project in all its dimensions.