For industries like aviation, maritime transport, and chemicals, reducing their carbon footprint while maintaining competitive costs is a challenging task. Aerleum, a climatetech startup based in Strasbourg, is developing a technology that could address this need. Founded in 2023 by Steven Bardey and Sébastien Fiedorow, the company offers a technology that captures and converts CO2 in a single step. This innovation aims to support the production of synthetic fuels (e-fuels) while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
A simplified capture technology
Aerleum has focused on a more efficient approach to CO2 capture. Unlike existing methods, their technology integrates capture and conversion in a single process, using specific materials and precise temperature control. This method reduces the energy consumption required to transform CO2 into synthetic fuels and chemicals.
“Our goal is to make the process simpler and less expensive, to facilitate its large-scale adoption by industries,” explains Steven Bardey, co-founder and CTO of Aerleum.
This technology enables the production of e-fuels at competitive costs, which is essential for sectors such as maritime transport and aviation, where low-carbon alternatives are still limited.
E-methanol: A key fuel
Aerleum has chosen to focus its efforts on the development of e-methanol, a fuel considered an attractive alternative for the maritime and aviation sectors. Unlike other alternative fuels, e-methanol remains liquid at room temperature, making it easier to store and transport.
“E-methanol offers a practical and direct solution to reduce CO2 emissions in sectors where options are still scarce,” says Steven Bardey. In addition to its storage and transport characteristics, this fuel has the advantage of reducing both greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants.
A circular carbon economy
The development of Aerleum’s technology is part of a broader vision aimed at integrating captured CO2 into a circular carbon economy, where emissions are no longer seen as waste but as a reusable resource to produce fuels and chemicals. This approach could help make industries more sustainable and reduce their reliance on fossil fuels.
“We are working to develop a solution that allows CO2 to be reused to produce fuels at prices comparable to fossil fuels,” says Sébastien Fiedorow, co-founder and CEO of Aerleum.
Fundraising to support industrialization
To accelerate the industrialization of its technology, Aerleum has raised $6 million (approximately €5.49 million) in a seed round of funding led by 360 Capital and HTGF, with participation from Norrsken, Bpifrance, and Marble. This investment will enable the launch of a first full-scale pilot unit and collaboration with industrial partners to integrate their technology into strategic sectors.
“This funding is a key step in realizing our ambition to make e-fuels accessible on a larger scale,” says Sébastien Fiedorow. Aerleum’s goal is to help these sectors reduce their carbon footprint without compromising competitiveness.
