Cemvita Factory and Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, LLC (OLCV), a subsidiary of Occidental, today announced that they have reached an investment agreement. OLCV’s investment will advance the development of new bio-engineered pathways that use CO2as feedstock for sustainable production of intermediate chemicals and polymers.
Cemvita Factory is a Houston-based biotechnology startup focused on creating economical solutions for a sustainable future. The company’s technology includes a CO2 utilization platform that mimics photosynthesis and other natural processes to produce industrial chemicals and polymers for energy sustainability.
"One of OLCV’s strategic priorities is to develop and commercialize CO2 utilization technologies that complement Occidental’s core businesses and product lines, with the goal of helping Occidental find value in new markets and attain its aspiration of becoming carbon neutral,” OLCV President Richard Jackson said. "Cemvita Factory’s CO2 utilization platform has the potential to harness the power of nature and create new, sustainable pathways for the bio-manufacturing of our products.”
“With the investment received from Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, we plan to demonstrate that our technology can economically scale from test tube to the field," said Moji Karimi, co-founder and CEO of Cemvita Factory. "We have an ambitious goal to take one gigaton of CO2 out of the carbon cycle in the next decade and are very excited about being a part of Occidental's journey to become a carbon-neutral company," said Tara Karimi, co-founder and Chief Scientist.
Cemvita Factory’s bio-manufacturing platform mitigates emissions resulting from traditionally energy-intensive chemical and catalytic conversion processes by operating under ambient temperature and pressure. This same technology is able to turn polymer production into a low carbon activity by utilizing CO2 as a feedstock, a crucial step in building a circular carbon economy. Cemvita Factory is currently working with a number of clients in the energy industry to help them use CO2 as a resource to lower their carbon footprint.
