Alkmaar-based DOPS Recycling Technologies, a Dutch developer of Direct Carbon Immobilisation (DCI) technology, has secured €5M in seed round funding. This process converts waste into raw materials with minimal CO2 emissions.
The round was led by the Rotterdam Energy Transition Fund, ROM InWest, the North Holland Innovation Fund, Init Power, CarbonFix, and Alphatron.
Jesse In ’t Velt, Senior Investment Manager at the Rotterdam Energy Transition Fund, says, “The transition to sustainable energy and a circular economy requires affordable green molecules that can compete with fossil resources for the industry and chemical sectors, along with more sustainable alternatives to waste incineration.”
“With their robust and efficient gasification technology, DOPS transforms existing residual streams into valuable chemical building blocks while drastically reducing CO2 emissions.”
“The DOPS team has the expertise and experience to scale this innovation and future-proof existing value chains. We look forward to working with the management and this group of impact investors.”
Converting waste and biomass into valuable products
Every year, about eight million tons of waste are incinerated in the Netherlands, releasing a similar amount of CO2 and leading to material loss. DOPS Recycling Technologies has developed DCI technology, which recovers raw materials from waste while reducing emissions.
Many waste streams currently lack sustainable processing options. DOPS uses specialised refractory materials and efficient heat recovery to ensure economic feasibility even at low processing volumes.
The technology can handle different waste streams, supporting a circular economy. It enables conversion into biofuels, which helps reduce emissions in industries and transportation.
The DCI process heats waste and biomass to 1,000 degrees Celsius in an oxygen-free reactor, breaking down hydrocarbons into carbon monoxide and hydrogen. This method converts over 90 per cent of waste—otherwise incinerated or landfilled—into syngas, carbon-based products, and other materials.
Syngas is used as an industrial heat source and as a building block for methanol and sustainable fuels. It plays a role in the energy transition by supporting various industrial applications.
Michiel Spits, CEO of DOPS Recycling Technologies, says, “Our technology ensures that waste is not the end, but the beginning of new, valuable resources. Thanks to this investment, we can scale up and contribute to the energy transition and a circular economy where reuse and efficient energy use become the norm.”
Capital utilisation
DOPS will use the funds to build a modular unit (M-DCI) to test the full system. The results are expected to support a final investment decision for the first full-scale plant with customers.
Since its inception in 2021, DOPS received support from the Energy & Climate Innovation Programme and participated in the 2023/2024 Green Chemistry Accelerator (GCA) programme.
Established with Invest-NL and Regional Development Agencies (ROMs), the programme helps startups scale by building pilot plants, entering the market, and producing recycled or biobased raw materials at scale.
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