Belgium – Antwerp-based starter D-CRBN has won a €2.5 million grant awarded by the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator Programme. This significant financial injection recognises D-CRBN’s revolutionary CO2 recycling technology.
D-CRBN uses plasma technology to turn CO2 into valuable chemical building blocks. Plasma is highly reactive and can be used to break down CO₂ molecules into CO and other products. Starter D-CRBN’s pilot plant uses a plasma process at a relatively low temperature. This makes the process more energy efficient and reduces the risk of side reactions.
It takes a lot of energy to ‘revive’ CO₂. Chemical building blocks are much easier to produce from CO. D-CRBN therefore uses plasma technology to efficiently convert CO₂ into CO. The company is now commissioning a pilot plant for this purpose. The plant has an annual capacity of 1,000 tonnes.
Disruptive power
Amid a highly competitive field of 1083 applications from start-ups and SMEs, D-CRBN stood out as one of only 42 companies to secure a share of the total €285 million in funds. According to Gill Scheltjens, CEO of D-CRBN, this achievement illustrates the disruptive power of their plasma-based technology, which not only reduces the environmental impact of carbon emissions, but also provides a sustainable replacement for fossil fuels.
