Technology showcase · Recovering low-temperature waste heat
EXORA
Producing cooling from low-temperature waste heat.
Active member since May 2026
Understand the technology
Key fact Heat from 35°C · cooling from 5°C to 22°C
01 — Understand
EXORA technology, in three points
EXORA turns low-temperature waste heat from 35°C into useful cooling between 5°C and 22°C. Based on 25 years of CNRS research at ESPCI and ENS–PSL University, its water-adsorption technology uses patented porous materials, contains no harmful refrigerant and can consume up to 90% less electricity than a conventional chiller.
01 The solution
Producing cooling from low-temperature waste heat.
02 Technology principle
Water adsorption in patented porous materials captures and stores heat before converting it into useful cooling.
03 Applications
- Food processing
- Chemicals
- Data centres
- Agricultural greenhouses
EXORA develops a technology for recovering, storing and reusing low-temperature heat, based on 25 years of CNRS research at ESPCI and ENS–PSL University. Patented porous materials adsorb water and can turn waste heat from 35°C into useful cooling while consuming up to 90% less electricity than a conventional chiller and using no harmful refrigerant. Currently at technology-readiness level 4 and raising capital, EXORA targets food processing, chemicals, data centres, solar thermal energy, agricultural greenhouses and buildings.
Turning low-temperature heat into low-carbon cooling
EXORA’s water-adsorption process can recover, store, transport and reuse low-temperature heat. Unlike many conventional thermal systems, which are poorly suited to low-grade sources, it converts heat below 100°C—and from as little as 35°C—into useful cooling between 5°C and 22°C.
The solution draws on 25 years of CNRS research at ESPCI and ENS–PSL University. Its advanced porous materials offer roughly three times the energy density of established options such as zeolites and silica gels, opening the way to more compact, efficient systems that fit industrial constraints.
EXORA targets electricity consumption up to 90% below that of a conventional chiller. Water is the working fluid, so the process requires no harmful refrigerant. This robust, efficient design is well aligned with industrial-process decarbonisation.
Target applications include industrial waste heat from food, chemical and other processes, data centres, solar thermal systems, agricultural greenhouses and commercial or residential buildings.
EXORA is a spin-out from academic research at PSL and is currently at TRL 4. The team is preparing a funding round to raise technology maturity, organise industrialisation and formally create the company.
By joining France Cleantech Industries, EXORA aims to help build the French industrial-cleantech ecosystem, share entrepreneurial experience and contribute practical solutions for recovering lost heat and reducing the energy footprint of industrial sites.
