💥 ClimateHack Vol 129: Fusion’s Open-Source Future

Hi There,

This week, researchers at Yale University revealed their innovative "two-in-one" catalyst that efficiently converts waste CO₂ into liquid methanol.

What: Their process turns industrial CO₂ emissions into methanol, a widely used liquid fuel for internal combustion engines and various chemical applications.

How: The "two-in-one" catalyst uses nickel tetramethoxyphthalocyanine to first transform CO₂ into carbon monoxide (CO). The CO then migrates to a cobalt site, where it's further reduced to methanol.

TL;DR: This breakthrough could significantly enhance the scalability of CO₂ reduction processes, paving the way for cleaner energy solutions and helping to mitigate the impact of industrial carbon emissions.

In this week’s edition:

🪵 Using AI to turn waste wood into lumber
🔨 Streamlining energy-efficient home renovations
🧪 Turning food waste into sustainable biosurfactants

The Digest

🌏 Asia Climate Hub launched a free database featuring 1,000+ Climate Tech startups and investors dedicated to bridging the funding gap in APAC.

❓Good Read: Luke Charbonnier-Bevan shared his view on what he terms climate tech’s identity crisis.

🎟️ Early Bird tickets to the highly-anticipated HackSummit end at 3pm CET today. Lock in the lowest rate.

AgriFood x Climate

🧀 Dutch precision fermentation startup Vivici raised €32.5 million Series A funding to scale production of animal-free dairy proteins, expand into new markets, and launch its lactoferrin product under the Vivitein brand in 2025.

🔬 Jord Bioscience secured $7 million in a Series B funding round to advance its customisable microbial solutions, which enhance plant health and pest resistance by leveraging natural microbial interactions, with field trials currently underway.

📈 Scottish biotech firm uFraction8 raised £3.4 million to commercialise its microfiltration technology, designed to optimise cell and biomass production, offering a sustainable and energy-efficient solution for bioprocessing in the food, feed, and bio-based industries.

👀 A new study suggests that animal agriculture, particularly meat and dairy farming, is the leading cause of global warming, contributing more to climate change than fossil fuels.

Carbon x Climate

🏭 Carbon capture startup Mitico secured $4.3 million seed funding to scale its potassium carbonate-based technology, which captures over 95% of CO₂ emissions from industrial exhaust and targets natural gas power plants for wider deployment.

🌳 Arbonics has launched in Sweden through a partnership with Treebula, enabling forest owners to earn from carbon credits by enhancing carbon storage, as part of its mission to scale forest-based carbon removal across Europe.

👀 An article published in the journal Nature reveals that researchers have developed a scalable carbon removal method using thermal calcium/magnesium ion exchange with magnesium-rich silicate minerals, offering a promising solution for large-scale CO₂ capture and storage.

Chemicals x Climate

🧪 Canadian startup Dispersa raised $5.8 million CAD to scale its BioEterna® technology, which transforms food waste into sustainable biosurfactants as a greener alternative to palm- and petroleum-based chemicals.

👩‍🔬 Scientists at Yale have developed a catalyst that converts industrial CO₂ emissions into liquid methanol, potentially paving the way for scalable carbon recycling and renewable fuel production.

Construction x Climate

🏠 Berlin-based Deutsche Sanierungsberatung (dsb) secured €3.6 million seed funding to expand its digital platform, which streamlines energy-efficient home renovations by offering planning, subsidy assistance, and project implementation support.

Energy x Climate

🔋 Delft-based CarbonX secured a €2.5 million EIC Accelerator grant to advance its locally produced, high-performance anode material, aiming to reduce Europe's reliance on graphite while improving battery efficiency and sustainability.

🥣 Kellogg’s has become the UK's first food manufacturer to produce cereal using hydrogen, launching a government-funded demonstration to power its toasting oven with cleaner energy.

💥 German fusion startup Proxima Fusion published the first peer-reviewed design for a stable, continuously operating fusion power plant, marking a significant step toward “limitless” clean energy.

🔌 MIT engineers have proposed a decentralised backup network of grid-edge devices, such as solar panels and EVs, to restore power or stabilise the grid during outages, using an algorithm-driven local electricity market to coordinate and compensate participants.

🏭 AstraZeneca and Future Biogas have launched the UK’s first unsubsidised biomethane plant for the life sciences sector, providing clean heat for AstraZeneca’s UK operations while integrating carbon capture and supporting local sustainable farming.

💡 A parliamentary inquiry's interim report confirms that nuclear energy is not a viable option for Australia, citing high risks, high costs, and delays in meeting climate commitments.

👀 Good Read: Why data centre startups might not be VC-backable.

ESG x Climate

⚡️ Belgian software company Karomia secured €2 million to expand its AI-powered ESG reporting platform, which automates CSRD compliance and streamlines sustainability reporting for businesses of all sizes.

🇩🇪 Berlin-based ctrl+s raised €1 million seed funding to scale its platform, which provides high-resolution supply chain insights to support corporate sustainability strategies and decarbonisation efforts.

🤝 Leafr, based in London, raised £600,000 to provide SMEs with affordable access to sustainability experts, bridging the skills gap as firms face growing regulatory demands.

Funds x Climate

🛞 Amsterdam-based Polestar Capital launched a €500 million debt fund to finance e-mobility and logistics projects, with the aim of accelerating the transition to zero-emission mobility.

💰 Cambridge Innovation Capital launched a £100 million opportunity fund, backed by Aviva and British Patient Capital, to support deep tech and life science scaleups in the UK, with initial investments in Pragmatic Semiconductor and Riverlane.

Materials x Climate

🪵 Cambium, which repurposes waste wood into usable lumber through a software-driven supply chain, raised $18.5 million in a funding round led by VoLo Earth Ventures. It will use the funds to expand its platform and develop AI-powered tools for streamlining transactions and ensuring product consistency.

🧬 Milan-based Arsenale Bioyards raised €9.5 million seed funding to scale its AI-driven biomanufacturing platform, designed to enable industries to develop sustainable bio-based alternatives to petrochemicals and animal-derived products.

🫗 Swiss startup Verretex secured €159,000 to scale its technology that regenerates damaged glass fibres into high-performance textiles, offering a sustainable alternative for industries like aerospace, automotive, and wind energy.

🧫 Repsol acquired a 21.43% stake in DARWIN Bioprospecting Excellence, transferring its pioneering microbial technology for biodegrading microplastics to advance sustainable bioremediation solutions.

⚜️ Why there’s more Gold in landfills than in actual gold mines.

Mobility x Climate

🚙 Sydney-based EV charging startup Jolt secured a $214 million loan from the Canada Infrastructure Bank to install 1,500 free fast-charging stations in Canada, leveraging ad-supported kiosks to offset costs.

🚢 Maritime tech company ZeroNorth secured $20 million in debt financing, following rapid growth to $40 million in annual recurring revenue, and its first profitable month in December 2024, as it continues to lead the sector’s energy transition and digital transformation by optimizing commercial performance and reducing emissions.

🛰️ Oxfordshire-based spacetech Magdrive raised $10.5 million seed funding to advance its high-thrust electric propulsion systems for satellites, with an in-orbit test of its Magdrive Rogue thruster set for June 2025.

⛽️ UK supermarket Sainsbury’s is planning to convert food waste into biofuel to power 30 HGVs, cutting 3,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually in a circular sustainability initiative.

🪫 The Trump administration is reportedly planning to shut down all federal electric vehicle charging stations, affecting approximately 8,000 plugs across the US, and intends to offload newly purchased EVs from the government fleet.

Dictionary x Climate

The latest sustainability buzzword…

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Editorial by Laura, Curation by Nicola