Last week, Switzerland-based Arrhenius AG successfully closed a Seed funding round which will help the company scale its carbon removal and storage operations.
The round saw participation from new investors CTA Ltd. and Young Ventures AG (Victor Villiger), as well as angel investors Thomas Krumbeck and Ralf Wildenhues.
Besides providing financial backing, these supporters will also share their expertise in entrepreneurship, industry, and climate innovation with Arrhenius AG as the company gears up for its next phase of growth.
Carrying a name that pays tribute to Svante Arrhenius, one of the earliest predictors of global warming triggered by human-caused CO2 emissions, Arrhenius AG specializes in an atmospheric carbon dioxide removal approach that entails growing and burying microalgae.
Its technology enables microalgae photosynthesis, resulting in a Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS) process that is both energy- and cost-efficient.
Arrhenius AG uses outdoor photobioreactors that create the ideal conditions for the accelerated growth of microalgae biomass in wastewater using sunlight. In the photobioreactors, the algae population grows through cell division.
When put through photosynthesis, the algae bind carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as a natural process. Once the algae reach a certain density, the harvesting starts, where the biomass is continuously filtered from the water and dried.
Arrhenius AG shares that the dried biomass is made up of more than 50% of CO2. This dried, carbon-dense biomass then gets put into long-term storage underground in former gravel pits or underground mines.
With the newly secured Seed funding, the startup will focus on scaling this technology.
Relevant: remove Announces Next 20 Startups To Join Its Accelerator Program
As shared in the announcement, this will include implementing a 500 m² pilot plant, which will combine carbon removal with wastewater treatment and will help the company prepare for its first commercial plant abroad.
In a publication, Arrhenius AG said, “The pilot plant is an important step in validating our technology under real-world operating conditions and scaling our process towards commercial deployment.”
“We look forward to sharing our progress as we bring our pilot plant to life and lay the foundation for our next scale-up abroad,” the publication read.
Read more: Puro.earth Advisory Board Approves New Microalgae Carbon Fixation and Sinking Methodology
