Carbon capture startup Remora is expanding its focus from trucking to rail, purchasing a 4,400-horsepower locomotive as it prepares to test its mobile carbon capture system on freight trains.
The Detroit-area company, now in its fifth year, will use the retrofitted 1994 General Electric locomotive as a full-scale research platform for adapting its carbon capture technology to rail. CEO and co-founder Paul Gross says the system is designed to extract up to one metric ton of CO2 per hour from diesel exhaust.
Remora’s solution captures carbon emissions directly from the tailpipes of diesel engines, purifies and liquefies the CO2 onboard, and plans to resell it for use in commercial sectors like agriculture and food processing.
Revenue will be shared with transportation partners, offering them a way to monetize emissions reductions while lowering their environmental footprint.
Backed by $117 million in venture capital to date, Remora has signed evaluation agreements with major railroad and logistics firms, including Union Pacific, Norfolk Southern, Pacific Harbor Lines, Ryder, and DHL. The company hopes to launch live train trials next year.
Despite the lack of stringent emissions regulations under the Trump administration, interest in clean transport technology remains high.
Remora’s technology originated from a doctoral dissertation by co-founder Christina Reynolds. It works by channeling exhaust through a chamber packed with adsorbent pellets that trap CO2 in their microscopic pores.
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The gas is then extracted, compressed, and chilled into a liquid form. The system also removes other pollutants like soot and ash.
Remora’s latest $60 million Series B funding round, led by Valor Equity Partners, was structured in phases based on technical progress. Gross believes the company’s system will become profitable as it scales, though he declined to share detailed cost projections.
“We knew we were embarking on a long shot,” said Clay Dumas, founding partner at Lowercarbon Capital, an investor in the company. “On the other end, if they succeed there’s a huge opportunity waiting for them,” he added.
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