Airhive Acquires Carbyon to Boost CO2 Filtration Tech

British company Airhive acquired Dutch startup Carbyon, a developer of direct air capture (DAC) technology, though Carbyon will maintain its research and development center in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The companies cited challenging market conditions and the need for scale as drivers for the consolidation. Investment in early-stage DAC technologies currently lags behind that of electrification technologies like battery storage, as evidenced by the recent bankruptcy of Amsterdam-based SeaO2, another CO2 filtration startup.

However, SkyTree, another Dutch DAC company, is progressing toward commercialization with a deal to supply CO2 to Dutch greenhouses. Carbyon’s former CEO Reinier Zoomers stated that combining resources will aid in securing further funding and accelerating technological development.

Airhive and Carbyon both emphasize the importance of technological innovation, efficient scaling, and supportive government policies to expand the DAC market. The combined company will focus on leveraging Carbyon’s research expertise and Airhive’s larger-scale pilot projects.