Belgian Startup D-CRBN Raises $19.5M to Turn CO2 Into Clean Fuels

Jan de Vries · 2026-05-26

### A Big Win for Green Tech D-CRBN, a DeepTech startup based in Antwerp, Belgium, just closed a $19.5 million Series A funding round (that's about €17.5 million). They're using electrified plasma technology to recycle CO₂ and hydrocarbons into circular carbon molecules. Think of it as turning pollution into building blocks for sustainable fuels and materials. The round was led by Astaia, with support from SFPIM and the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund. But here's the twist: D-CRBN is also opening a secondary closing of up to $5.6 million (around €5 million) for select strategic industrial partners. These partners will help speed up the tech's real-world deployment. ### What's the Big Idea? Founded in 2021 by Gill Scheltjens, David Ziegler, Georgi Trenchev, and Annemie Bogaerts, D-CRBN uses renewable electricity to zap CO₂-rich gases and hydrocarbons. The result? Carbon monoxide and syngas—key ingredients for making fuels, chemicals, and materials. No nasty byproducts like carbon black. It's like turning trash into treasure, but for industrial emissions. “This Series A marks a significant milestone for D-CRBN,” said David Ziegler, co-founder and CCO. “With Astaia as lead investor and the continued support of SFPIM and the EIC Fund, we are well-positioned to transition from pilot validation toward industrial scale-up.” ### Why This Matters for Europe Europe's heavy industries—steel, chemicals, energy—are under pressure to cut emissions and secure supply chains. D-CRBN's tech offers a scalable way to do both. Instead of relying on fossil feedstocks, factories can capture their own CO₂ and turn it into something useful. It's a win for the planet and for business. Andreas Blome, Director at Astaia, put it this way: “By enabling circular carbon molecules at industrial scale, D-CRBN directly addresses Europe’s dependence on fossil resources while helping secure the future supply of critical materials for fuels, chemicals, and manufacturing.” ### What the Money Will Do With the new funds, D-CRBN plans to: - Scale its first industrial demonstration units - Expand engineering and operations teams - Speed up commercial rollout of its CO₂-to-CO and syngas platform Hermann Hauser from the EIC Fund Board added: “Europe’s ability to remain competitive will depend on how effectively we turn breakthrough innovation into scalable industrial solutions. D-CRBN is a strong example of how deep tech can help decarbonise heavy industry while also creating new value from emissions that would otherwise be wasted.” ### Already Proven at Pilot Scale D-CRBN's tech isn't just a lab experiment. It's already been validated at industrial pilot scale with leading partners in steel and chemicals. Multiple demo projects are moving toward commercial deployment. The company also snagged a $2.8 million EIC Accelerator grant in 2023 (that's about €2.5 million). ### The Bottom Line D-CRBN is positioning itself as a key player in Europe's circular carbon economy. By partnering with giants in steel, chemicals, energy, and infrastructure, they're not just solving a climate problem—they're building a new industrial backbone. If you care about where the next generation of clean fuels and materials comes from, this is a name to watch.