CO2 CAPTURING FROM THE ATMOSPHERE.

Knowledge gained through scientific research plays a pivotal role in solving the major problems of our time – provided that this knowledge is not kept locked up within the walls of knowledge institutions. That is why Guus Dubbink, Ewout Ruijs and Sophia Hummelman decided to put the knowledge developed by researcher Wim Brilman to good use. The result? ReCarbn, a UT spinoff that captures CO2 from the atmosphere in order to reduce the impact of climate change.

Removing CO2 from the atmosphere

For years, people have been making plans to put a stop to global warming, but actual results are few and far between. Guus felt it was high time for concrete action. “We are still moving too quickly toward a global temperature increase of 1.5 degrees,” he says. “That will have far-reaching effects; sea levels will rise and there will be longer periods of heat and drought, as well as periods of extreme rain. Although there are certain measures we can take to reduce our emissions – such as flying less and eating more plant-based foods – these are mere drops in a bucket and the impact of climate change can already be felt.   In addition to reducing our emissions, we will also have to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Professor Wim Brilman has spent the last decade working on a technology that can do this in an affordable and energy-efficient way. This innovation forms the basis for ReCarbn. We extract carbon from the atmosphere and reuse it in various ways.”

Doing something good for the planet

Guus and Ewout met during their time at Invest-NL, where they were looking for sustainable startups to invest in.   “After finishing my studies at the UT, Wim and I kept in touch,” Guus says. “Naturally, he felt that we should be investing in carbon capture. Although he didn’t have a spinoff of his own, he did have the technology. We understood its potential, so we decided to bring it to market together.” With their background in chemistry and mechanical engineering, Guus and Ewout still needed a commercial talent to complete their team. That’s where Sophia came in. “I wanted to work for a startup that is really doing something good for the planet,” she explains. “I posted a message on LinkedIn and that’s how Guus and Ewout found me. I was immediately excited about the idea behind ReCarbn. When I saw how well we worked together, I was convinced.”

Qualities

With their core team assembled, Guus, Ewout and Sophia were ready to get to work. In December of 2022, ReCarbn became an official spinoff of the UT. “Although our core team brings a lot to the table, we cannot do everything ourselves,” Ewout says. “That is why we were happy to receive support from Novel-T during our start-up phase. Afterwards, Novel-T helped us in various other ways as well, e.g. with legal support, subsidies and raising venture capital. They were there to assist with anything we needed, which was really great.”

No more sitting back

Guus, Ewout and Sophia are now ready to take ReCarbn to great heights. Ewout: “We are getting to the point at which everyone understands that we can no longer afford to sit back when it comes to climate change. In addition to reducing our carbon emissions, we must also remove carbon from the air. In seven years, we want our largest factory to be fully operational. After that, we want to scale up our technology by licensing it to parties around the world. Above all, we want to make a significant contribution to the effort to mitigate climate change.” Sophia adds: “We also want to build a fun organization that young professionals from all over the country will want to work for. So, if anyone reading this is eager to contribute in some way, we would love to sit down with them for a chat!”