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.