CREW Carbon is a company aiming to utilize its enhanced weathering approach within earth’s water cycle, focused initially on removing biogenic CO2 produced in wastewater treatment facilities. The company has raised $5.3 million in seed funding in an oversubscribed round led by Counteract and included participation by ReGen Ventures, ANIMO, Connecticut Innovations, Ponderosa Ventures, Newlab, Echo River Capital, and the Carbon Drawdown Initiative.
To meet global climate targets, about 10 gigatons of carbon dioxide need to be removed from the atmosphere annually by 2050. Significant amounts of CO2 are naturally concentrated within wastewater, creating an ideal environment for rapidly scaling carbon removal.
Developed through years of research at Yale University, CREW’s technology enhances the natural power of minerals for treating wastewater and storing CO2 permanently, all while removing the cost barrier to optimize biological treatment in wastewater. The company is already operating at multiple plants and is on its way to scaling operations to remove thousands of tons next year. This seed funding round will enable CREW to grow the team, deploy systems at additional wastewater plants, and continue building its proprietary carbon monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) system.
KEY QUOTES:
“Robust greenhouse gas removal is needed, and needed swiftly, to limit the effects of climate change and to meet our climate goals. CREW has identified that water resource recovery facilities are one of the best locations for rapid carbon removal. As a society we have spent decades building amazing wastewater treatment infrastructure to keep our environment safe; now, with CREW’s technology, we can work with utility and industrial partners to supplement their treatment processes in a way that can measurably remove CO2 at scale while enabling safe and efficient wastewater treatment.”
– Dr. Joachim Katchinoff, CREW Co-Founder and CEO
“We’re thrilled about CREW’s game-changing technology that scales measurable carbon removal while simultaneously delivering key improvements for wastewater facilities. By partnering with wastewater treatment plants, who are already important stewards of our communities and environment, CREW is tapping into existing infrastructure and keeping costs of deployment low. It’s a win for municipalities, industry, and our journey to net-zero, solving long standing challenges with a demonstrated, low-cost solution.”
– Andy Bonsall, Partner at Counteract who led the round and specializes in backing solutions for gigaton-scale carbon removal
“CREW’s solution is an easy sell to partners in the wastewater sector. The CREW technology is sound – their pilots to date have achieved their goals of reducing costs and improving pH and alkalinity management. The technology is safer than existing solutions – removing harmful chemicals like caustic from operations. And the technology is innovative – it’s truly a first of a kind solution that transforms wastewater treatment plants into climate hubs. It’s a paradigm shift for the industry.”
– Chris Morrison, Executive in Residence at ImagineH2O and former Division Vice President of Water Process Services at Ecolab/Nalco
