Interview with Oriol Martínez, Founder and President of GasN2
From 2 to 5 June 2026, as part of Expoquimia, the 16th edition of the Mediterranean Congress of Chemical Engineering (MeCCE) will take place. The event aims to foster knowledge exchange between academia and industry, with innovation and sustainability at the heart of its agenda. In line with these values, the Catalan impact-driven company GasN2, recently certified as a B Corp, returns as Platinum Sponsor of the congress, convinced that business support for this landmark event in the chemical industry is essential. Chemical engineer Oriol Martínez, founder and president of GasN2, believes that the MeCCE will enable participants to discover the potential of new technologies that will be decisive in accelerating the sector’s decarbonisation.
What made you decide to support the congress?
A few years ago, I took part in the World Congress of Chemical Engineering as a representative of the College of Engineers, and that experience allowed me to understand first-hand the scale and importance of major international congresses. It was so enriching that I later decided to collaborate with the MeCCE. Catalonia is one of the most important chemical clusters in the world and, therefore, Expoquimia must become an international benchmark fair with a world-class congress.
Expoquimia and the MeCCE promote technologies that drive the design of new solutions, especially in the field of sustainability. At GasN2, we firmly believe that knowledge development is the foundation of all future projects, of attracting new clients and of drawing in talent. Sustainability can only be achieved through technological innovation, and sharing knowledge with the best experts in chemical engineering is an opportunity not to be missed.
That is why I believe that if, as a company, you participate, believe in it and gain economic return, it is also essential to contribute. If businesses do not support these initiatives, the spaces where industry and academia connect are at risk of disappearing.
Sustainability is a key strategic focus for GasN2. What role will it play in this congress?
For new companies — those of us born in a context where climate change reminds us daily that we must act differently — working for sustainability is a critical success factor. In fact, this commitment has earned us the recent B Corp certification, which recognises companies that meet the highest social and environmental standards.
If your only concern is making money, you will soon lose relevance in the market, stop selling and eventually disappear. Companies that are not sustainable simply have no future.
That is why all the knowledge debated and highlighted at the congress must be geared towards developing technologies that make sustainability possible.
This collaboration is very much aligned with your company’s mission and vision…
Exactly. At the core of GasN2 lies the development of new, more efficient and more sustainable technologies; this is our strategic focus.
We know that our clients not only need to reduce CO₂ emissions: they must reach a point where they emit none. That is why we see ourselves not just as a solution provider, but as a strategic partner accompanying them on their journey towards becoming zero CO₂ emitters.
We also strive to ensure that the companies we work with go beyond meeting legislative requirements, steering their vision towards more sustainable processes on a global scale.
Are companies aware of this, or is a lot of awareness-raising still needed?
A great deal of awareness-raising is still required. Some companies are already conscious of the need for change, but many others still lack the knowledge or resources to apply it. Their day-to-day operations often do not allow for it, and perhaps they also lack a long-term strategic vision.
This is where the congress and the fair play a key role: they allow us to reach the real strategic decision-makers. That is why we are making such a significant commitment to Expoquimia, where we will present several success stories related to CO₂ emissions reduction. Today, the companies where we have installed our equipment — almost all of them in Catalonia — have already achieved annual savings of 10,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions.
What projects linked to the congress are you currently working on, and what impact do they have on the industry?
Firstly, we provide solutions for the industrial gas market, including nitrogen, oxygen and special mixtures. We usually work with an equipment rental model, so clients do not need to make a large upfront investment. This approach allows for a “democratisation of sustainability”, making it easier for smaller companies with fewer resources to adopt cleaner technologies.
Our second business line focuses on cooling and ultra-freezing. This involves other gases with significant environmental impact, often overlooked when discussing greenhouse effects. We tend to think the problem is limited to CO₂, but many other gases also contribute. We implement industrial cooling solutions with proprietary technology that avoids the use of HFCs and instead uses more sustainable, less polluting refrigerants. In this context, our flagship technology to be presented at the congress is a high-temperature heat pump capable of reaching up to 210 °C — a milestone that no other company worldwide is currently able to offer.
Have you already implemented this? Are there companies that have tested the product?
Yes, we have already tested it, and it works. In fact, we have strategic agreements with several companies, which we will finalise in the coming months in order to showcase them as success stories during the congress.
It is worth noting that almost all of the chemical companies attending use boilers. Therefore, this is a global solution with growing demand, particularly in a context where fluorinated gases are increasingly restricted and the cost of emitting CO₂ continues to rise.
What are your expectations for participation in the congress?
We are attending to debate knowledge and analyse the current state of ideas and projects that are still within the academic sphere. Although we also want to connect with the business sector, the reality is that a large number of university professors with an immense wealth of knowledge take part, and this opportunity to bring them into contact with the corporate world must be seized.
Another great strength of the congress is emerging talent: many students present their work, making the event a privileged space for identifying promising professionals — because, in the end, companies are made by people.
In short, the more students present projects and the more business leaders attend to seek out and exchange knowledge, the more enriching the congress will be for everyone.
How does this collaboration strengthen your position in the sector?
Taking part in the congress allows us to generate new ideas, drive projects and exchange knowledge with other players in the sector, while also giving us a clear vision of where technology is heading. This interaction helps us move forward towards more innovative and efficient solutions for our clients, strengthening their trust in us.
As a company, our mission is to lead technological and sustainable development, and this is the best business card we can present — both for our clients and for the talent we aim to attract.
