Avantium spins out CO₂ conversion platform into new company Carbeau

Turning captured CO₂ into commercially viable chemical building blocks remains one of the toughest challenges in renewable and circular materials development. Electrochemical conversion using electricity to transform CO₂ into new building blocks offers one route forward, provided the resulting materials can compete on cost with fossil-based alternatives and scale beyond pilot volumes. 

The company name Carbeau combines "Carbon" and "Beau," French for "beautiful." According to Carbeau, the name reflects its mission, which the company describes as "Making Carbon Work Beautifully." The company states its technology addresses CO₂ as an emission source by converting it into valuable materials rather than treating it solely as a waste stream.

Carbeau's platform converts CO₂ into chemical building blocks using electricity, turning electrons preferably generated from renewable electricity into valuable chemical building blocks. This positions CO₂ as a raw material rather than a waste stream. According to Carbeau, this approach transforms CO₂ from a waste emission into a feedstock, supporting production of renewable products with limited to negative carbon emissions.

The company's initial product focus covers two areas: glycolic acid for the personal care market, and PLGA (polylactic-co-glycolic acid), compostable plastic. According to Carbeau, PLGA offers strong technical performance in barrier properties and marine degradability. The company states these CO₂-based products are designed to be cost-competitive with incumbent fossil-based materials.

Carbeau has secured €35.2 million in total funding. This includes €23.7 million in cash contributions from external investors, plus an €11.5 million in-kind, non-cash contribution from Avantium. Avantium retains a 32.7% shareholding following the transaction. 

The external investor consortium combines industrial, financial, and regional expertise:

• GKT GmbH (Austria): industrial process technology experience

   

• Al Baleed Petrochemical, SFZ (Oman) - petrochemical and international market expertise

   

• Invest-NL, the National Promotional Institution of the Netherlands - support for scaling innovative, sustainable technologies

   

• NOM, the Investment and Development Agency for the Northern Netherlands - ties to the Northern Netherlands' industrial ecosystem

Carbeau will be headquartered at Amsterdam Science Park, maintaining ties to Avantium's innovation ecosystem. The company is planning a pilot plant in Delfzijl, in the north of the Netherlands. According to Carbeau, the Delfzijl region offers an established industrial and Carbon Capture & Utilization base suited to scaling electrochemical CO₂ conversion.

According to Avantium, spinning out Volta Technology into Carbeau creates sharper strategic focus for both companies. Avantium continues its core work in renewable polymer materials, while Carbeau focuses on the development and industrial deployment of electrochemical CO₂ utilization technologies.

Yap Chie Cheung, CEO of Carbeau, said, "Today marks an important milestone for our team. What started within Avantium as a pioneering technology platform has grown into Carbeau, a company with a clear mission and a bright future ahead. I would like to sincerely thank Avantium for its support and belief in the technology over the years, as well as our investors for their confidence in our vision. With €35.2 million in funding and the backing of an outstanding consortium of strategic and financial partners, we are in a strong position to accelerate commercialization and scale-up. We believe Carbeau can play an important role in transforming CO₂ from a challenge into an opportunity, and we now have the team, technology and partners to make that ambition a reality."

Tom van Aken, CEO of Avantium, added, "We are tremendously proud to see Volta Technology evolve into Carbeau. This spin-out demonstrates Avantium's ability to develop breakthrough technologies and bring them to a stage where they can attract substantial external investment and pursue their own growth trajectory. The €35.2 million financing and the strong consortium supporting Carbeau are a powerful endorsement of both the technology and the team behind it. We are pleased to remain closely involved as a significant shareholder, retaining a 32.7% stake in Carbeau. We look forward to supporting the company as it enters this exciting next phase and to seeing the impact its technology can have on advancing the circular carbon economy."

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