TLDR:
- Mantel, an MIT spinout, received $30 million in Series A funding for their molten salt carbon capture technology.
- The company uses borate, an alkalized salt, to reduce carbon emissions in industrial manufacturing processes by up to 95%.
An MIT spinout startup called Mantel has developed a groundbreaking technology using molten salts to capture carbon in industrial manufacturing processes. The company recently secured $30 million in new Series A funding to further expand their operations. Mantel utilizes borate, an alkalized salt that transforms into a liquid at high temperatures and chemically bonds to carbon and other chemicals, significantly reducing carbon emissions by up to 95%. The startup is now focusing on scaling up their product design and transitioning from lab testing to building site demonstration projects with the help of their recent investment. CEO and co-founder, Cameron Halliday, plans to grow the company’s team in their Cambridge headquarters, which has seen rapid growth from three employees in 2021 to over 24 in 2024. Mantel is looking to hire commissioning engineers to deploy and run the system on-site.
According to Halliday, the use of molten borate is highly effective in capturing carbon because it can be recycled within the system while extracting a large percentage of carbon emissions. This molten salt technology has a higher threshold to withstand degradation compared to other carbon capture solutions, making it a sustainable and efficient choice for industrial applications. Although there is a risk of contamination, when operating in environments rich in carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen, and moisture, borate can run indefinitely. The use of commodity materials in borate production also makes it accessible and easy to distribute on a global scale.
Halliday emphasizes the importance of deploying carbon capture technologies to have a tangible impact on climate goals. Mantel’s innovative approach to carbon capture has the potential to revolutionize the industry and significantly reduce carbon emissions from manufacturing processes. The company’s success highlights the importance of investing in sustainable technologies to combat environmental challenges and work towards a cleaner future.
