Chu, who announced he was stepping down from his US Administration seat in February, is the William R Kenan Jr professor of physics and molecular and cellular physiology at Stanford University.

Before his government service, Nobel Prize-winning Chu also served as director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and as professor of molecular and cellular biology at the University of California-Berkeley.

Vancouver-based Inventys said its VeloxoTherm method for capturing CO2 from coal and natural gas power facilities costs significantly less to build and operate than competing systems.

Additionally, the captured CO2 can be injected underground for carbon capture and sequestration, enhanced oil recovery or for use in industrial applications.

In fact, from a cost perspective, the company has claimed that capture cost using its technology totals about $15 per short ton of CO2, or about one-fifth of the cost of current processes.

The system is also smaller, coming in at about one-tenth of competing systems and small enough to retrofit to existing power plants with a direct connection to a flue stack.

“Carbon capture is a critical technology to move us to a clean energy future and Inventys has developed a practical, compact and low cost system that allows existing fossil fuel power plants to dramatically lower their carbon emissions," Chu said.

Inventys CEO Andre Boulet added: “Dr Chu brings an incredibly broad expertise to Inventys – from molecular interactions to the macroeconomics of energy systems and everything in between. We are thrilled to have him join our board.”