Ucaneo just announced that Aramco Ventures, the investment branch of Aramco — one of the globe’s largest integrated energy and chemicals companies — has become a part of its impressive network of top investors in hardware and energy.
This follows Ucaneo’s successful €6.75 million (~$7.3 million) seed funding round, unveiled in September 2024.
This partnership not only highlights Ucaneo’s innovative Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology but also underscores its vital role in supporting industries on their journey to achieve net-zero emissions.
The company recently launched its first industrial pilot project, capable of capturing 30-50 tons of CO2 annually, making it one of the largest DAC pilot projects in Germany.
With Aramco Ventures’ backing, Ucaneo is now poised to construct the country’s largest DAC demonstration plant, which is scheduled for completion in the first half of 2026.
This industrial pilot project will generate essential operational data to validate the technology’s performance in real-world environments.
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“Once operational, the future DAC facility will have a carbon removal capacity of roughly 365 tons of carbon dioxide annually,” Florian Tiller, Ucaneo co-founder and CEO, told the Carbon Herald.
Ucaneo’s cutting-edge electrochemical DAC technology is designed to emulate the natural process of CO2 management in the lungs. By utilizing electricity and a specialized biomimetic solvent, the system captures CO2 from the air at room temperature, with continuous regeneration.
The process produces high-purity, industrial-grade CO2, which is stored in gas bottles and can later be used for various applications, Tiller explained.
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“We are thrilled to welcome Aramco Ventures as one of our investors. For us, it was essential to find a partner who not only supports our scaling efforts but is also deeply committed to playing a leading role in the energy transition,” he said.
Bruce Niven, Executive Managing Director at Aramco Ventures, added: “Direct Air Capture, if achievable at a competitive cost, could play a crucial role in global decarbonization. Ucaneo’s approach, leveraging novel solvents and renewable energy-driven electrochemistry, has the potential to deliver a cost-effective and highly efficient solution.”
