OCOchem, a carbon conversion startup based in Richland, WA, recently secured an additional $5 million in funding from TO VC that will be used to scale its modular technology to industrial proportions and build a pilot plant for commercial demonstration operations. The company will use CO2 captured from industrial waste or direct air capture to generate formic acid and other formate chemicals that can replace fossil fuels as a feedstock for fuels and other products.
OCOchem is currently participating in three demonstration projects to prep for scaling:
- A project with the U.S. Army to develop a process to convert CO2 into potassium formate- used to deice runways.
- A project with Tacoma Power to develop a system for generating formic acid and hydrogen fuel- to provide power and replace diesel generators at the Port of Tacoma.
- A partnership with PNNL funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to produce formic acid- as a stable, non-flammable, liquid carrier of hydrogen for safe and affordable transportation.
Read more about OCOchem and the projects here: