Brineworks raises €6.8M to scale direct air capture for e-fuels

Amsterdam-based Brineworks has secured €6.8 million in new funding to
accelerate the commercialisation of its ultra-low-cost Direct Air Capture (DAC)
technology. The round was led by SeaX Ventures, with participation from Pale Blue Dot, First Momentum, AiiM Partners, Energie360°, and Katapult.

Brineworks has also been awarded a €1.8
million grant from the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator to further
advance R&D and pilot deployment.

Brineworks is a climate tech company
developing direct air capture with hydrogen co-production to enable affordable
e-fuel production. Founded in 2023 by Gudfinnur Sveinsson and electrochemist
Dr Joseph Perryman, the company combines technology and policy expertise to deliver
scalable decarbonization solutions for hard-to-abate sectors such as aviation
and maritime.

Brineworks’ core innovation is a patented electrolyser that enables
ultra-low-cost DAC while co-producing substantial hydrogen (H₂). These outputs supply the key inputs for sustainable aviation fuel
(SAF) and e-methanol for shipping, two sectors that urgently need scalable,
carbon-neutral solutions.

Aviation alone produces about 2.5 per cent of global CO₂ emissions, and demand continues to grow, while shipping adds more than
3 per cent. Without innovations like Brineworks’, these sectors have no clear
path to decarbonization.

According to Gudfinnur Sveinsson, CEO of Brineworks, the cost of
renewable energy is falling more quickly than most had anticipated.

The bottleneck now
is technology that can use this power flexibly and affordably. That’s exactly
what we’ve built — an electrolyser that runs when the sun shines or the wind
blows, and pauses when it doesn’t. We’re unlocking a dream that’s been out of
reach for decades,

commented Sveinsson.  

Brineworks’ electrolyser, unlike conventional
systems, is built to operate intermittently, allowing it to adapt to renewable
power availability without loss of performance. This addresses a long-standing
challenge of running DAC reliably with low-cost materials in grids powered by
renewables.

The new funding will support scaling the system to
pilot level, with the goal of reaching commercial readiness by late 2026.