15 Million Euros for Dutch Start-Up That Filters CO2 From the Air

The capture of CO2 from the air at random locations through chemical processes – also known as Direct Air Capture (DAC) – is viewed by critics as a lubricant for the energy transition. After all, why spend money on cleaning up mess when you could simply stop making that mess? Nevertheless, 'negative emission technologies' (including DAC) are considered essential by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to achieve the Paris climate goals, in addition to measures aimed at reducing CO2 emissions.

Entrepreneur Hans De Neve, founder of the Dutch DAC innovator Carbyon, is well aware of this. “I accept the criticism, but I won’t engage with it further,” he stated in a previous interview with Change Inc. “It is up to us to prove the contrary. I don't need to debate critics who claim something is impossible from the onset. However, I do believe that technology alone will not save the world.”

Low Costs

DAC often consists of large-scale 'vacuum cleaners' that suck in outside air and filter out the CO2. This is done by flowing air over or through a specific material that CO2 adheres to. A significant challenge is that this adhesion process often takes a long time; in most cases, it can take several hours. This incurs considerable costs. In this regard, Carbyon stands out. The company has developed a material that can bind CO2 in just a few minutes. As a result, energy consumption is lower, and more CO2 can be captured, leading to substantial cost savings.

25 Million

Investors see potential in De Neve’s technology, as evidenced by a recent funding round that raised 15.3 million euros. Earlier, investors such as Invest-NL and Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM) already showed financial interest in the company. Now, Siemens Financial Services and Global Cleantech Capital have also joined in. The total amount of funding raised now stands at 25 million euros.

With this funding, Carbyon has one goal: scaling up. The company is currently building prototypes in Eindhoven and is preparing plans to increase machine production capacity to 50,000 units by 2031. By 2050, it aims to filter CO2 from the air on a gigaton scale. “This new investment provides us with much more than just the financial means to grow further,” De Neve stated in a press release. “Our partners possess valuable knowledge about large-scale production and operation of this type of technology, enabling us to bring it to market rapidly yet responsibly.”

This article previously appeared in Change Inc., edited by Sebastian Maks.