Swedish startup Adsorbi has secured €1,000,000 in funding to develop their patented, cellulose-based air purification material.
The funds will be used to construct a pilot plant in Gothenburg, develop new products and continue studying product application possibilities.
The material, derived from Nordic tree cellulose, is designed to capture pollutants such as nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide, acids and aldehydes, the latter commonly found in cosmetics, perfumes, cleaning products, odourant dispensers, and grooming aids.
Being made from wood, the Adsorbi material has an immediate environmental advantage over activated carbon as an air cleaning product. It generates around 50% lower CO2 emissions – 3.5 kg CO2 per kilogram of material – compared to activated carbon, which has an emission factor of 7.5 kg CO2 per kilogram of material.
At the end of last year, Adsorbi partnered with Icebug, a world leader in grip footwear, and Smellwell, to launch a new generation of commercial shoe deodoriser inserts available on Icebug’s online store and in selected retailers.
Adsorbi started as a project at Chalmers University of Technology based in Gothenburg, the company being founded in 2022 by a team made up of university researchers and business developers.
The new funding has come from Metsä Spring, Chalmers Ventures and Jovitech Invest, along with a grant from Sweden’s Innovation Agency.
Co-founder and CEO of Adsorbi, Hanna Johansson said: ‘We want to thank Chalmers Ventures for their continued support of our mission, as well as warmly welcome new investors Metsä Spring and Jovitech Invest. Now we have a dream team of investors who understand deep tech, material startups, as well as novel usage cases for cellulose.
‘Our patented material can be used wherever air pollutants are a problem – in air filters, products that remove bad odours, and in museums to protect works of art. This means we can tackle several significant markets with one unique material.’
Metsä Spring specifically help companies develop products that ‘find new purposes and higher value for Nordic wood, create more long-lasting products, and replace fossil-based materials in everyday products.’
Adsorbi is Metsä Spring’s first Swedish startup investment and their CEO, Niklas von Weymarn said: ‘We are very excited to invest in Adsorbi, which has a diverse and solid research background and business-minded founding team. It is also working on a product made out of pulp, which makes Adsorbi of particular interest for Metsä Group. With Adsorbi in our portfolio, we are yet another step closer to removing fossil-based materials from everyday products.’