Led · Seed · Oct 2021

RepAir Carbon develops a battery- and fuel-cell‑inspired direct air capture system that uses electricity to drive a reversible chemical reaction to remove CO2. Its reactor uses two electrodes separated by a membrane; a nickel‑based electrode with hydroxide attracts CO2, converting it into carbonate and bicarbonate ions that migrate to the opposite electrode and are released as CO2 for capture. The company says this electrically driven, reversible process allows regeneration while operating, reducing downtime compared with solvent‑heating approaches. RepAir claims its approach could lower capture costs to about $70–$80 per metric ton versus roughly $600 per ton estimated for other approaches. The technology is intended for both atmospheric capture and exhaust-stream capture from power plants and similar sources. RepAir is engaging with developers to integrate its system with gas turbines to cut emissions from data centers. RepAir Carbon Capture develops a modular direct air capture (DAC) system that captures carbon dioxide from ambient air using renewable electricity. Led by CEO Amir Shiner and founded in 2020, the company's design uses multiple cell stacks to enable modularity, scalability, and affordability. RepAir's technology is said to use roughly 70% less energy than conventional DAC systems. The system is engineered for gigaton-scale CO2 separation while targeting lower energy and capital intensity. The company plans to use recent funding to expand operations and continue development efforts. RepAir Carbon has adapted ideas from fuel cell technology to build a modular direct air capture (DAC) “cell” that uses an electrical current and a selective membrane to separate CO2 from ambient air. The company says its approach can consume up to three times less energy per tonne of CO2 captured and avoids the high temperatures and pressure differentials required by many existing DAC systems. RepAir emphasizes a lower CapEx, electrochemical, Lego‑like modular design intended to enable deployment at scale and placement next to intermittent renewables such as wind farms. The startup is focused on advancing and optimizing a TRL3 prototype as its next technical milestone. RepAir aims to develop the platform toward gigaton-scale capture and storage of greenhouse gases. The team includes co-founder and CEO Amir Shiner, co-founder and chairman Yehuda Borenstein, CTO Ben Achrai, PhD, and board member Yushan Yan, PhD; the company is Israel-based and currently funded by a recent seed round.