ReCarbon
ReCarbon develops proprietary microwave plasma technology (Plasma Carbon Conversion Unit and Emission Blade) that converts CO2 and methane emissions into hydrogen and syngas, serving industrial emitters, landfill and biogas operators, municipal governments, and heavy mobility customers through equipment sales and own-and-operate plants.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersSanta Clara, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What ReCarbon does
ReCarbon is a US-based climate technology company founded in 2017 by Dr. Jay Kim and headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with a New Energy Lab in Fremont and operations in South Korea. The company has developed a proprietary microwave plasma platform — anchored by the patented Emission Blade reactor and packaged into the Plasma Carbon Conversion Unit (PCCU) — that uses atmospheric microwave plasma to convert carbon dioxide and methane into hydrogen and syngas without a catalyst and without fossil-fuel combustion. A standard 40-foot PCCU module houses 70 Emission Blades and can produce up to 900 kg of hydrogen per day, with units designed to be modular and stackable for projects of any scale.
ReCarbon monetizes the technology through three complementary streams: (1) one-time sales of PCCU systems to enterprise and government customers seeking to convert their own industrial or biogas emissions into usable products; (2) managed services from clean energy plants that the company builds and operates itself, generating revenue from hydrogen and energy sales; and (3) transaction-fee hydrogen production under multi-site supply agreements, notably with H2Renewables in the US. The company's core customer segments are industrial emitters (steel, chemicals, cement), landfill and biogas operators, municipal governments, and heavy mobility/fleet operators, with named counterparties including H2Renewables, HYZON Motors, Woodside Energy, the City of Lancaster (California), and the Daegu municipal landfill in South Korea.
ReCarbon's go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales, an exclusive US landfill distributor (H2Renewables), and participation in strategic industry alliances such as the HYZON Zero Carbon Alliance. The company is privately held, has raised approximately USD 7–12 million cumulatively (including a USD 7 million strategic Series B investment from Doosan Mecatec in December 2019), and operates with a headcount of 11–50 employees. Its reported hydrogen production cost of slightly above USD 1/kg, combined with eligibility for RFS RINs, LCFS credits, and IRA Section 45V incentives, positions the platform to compete economically with electrolysis and steam methane reforming at commercial scale, though most announced projects remain at pilot, MOU, or pre-commercial stage.
ReCarbon firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ReCarbon
- Legal name
- ReCarbon, Inc.
- Website
- https://recarboninc.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ReCarbon develops proprietary microwave plasma technology (Plasma Carbon Conversion Unit and Emission Blade) that converts CO2 and methane emissions into hydrogen and syngas, serving industrial emitters, landfill and biogas operators, municipal governments, and heavy mobility customers through equipment sales and own-and-operate plants.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ReCarbon industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Carbon Capture and Conversion Equipment
- NAICS
- Industrial Gas Manufacturing (32512), Power Boiler and Heat Exchanger Manufacturing (332410)
- SIC
- Industrial Process Furnaces & Ovens (3567), Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)
- akta.pro primary industry
- E‑Fuels & Synthetic Hydrocarbons (e‑kerosene, e‑diesel, e‑gasoline, e‑methane) (EUABAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- RNG Interconnection, Gas Quality & Upgrading Compliance (EUAJAJAC), Industrial Energy Efficiency & Optimization (Process Controls, Advanced Analytics, ISO 50001) (EUABAJAH)
Keywords
Where ReCarbon is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Clara
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
ReCarbon business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- PCCU System Sales: ReCarbon sells its Plasma Carbon Conversion Unit (PCCU) gas processing systems to customers that want to convert and utilize their industrial carbon emissions into valuable industrial gases and green energy.
- Clean Energy Plant Operations: ReCarbon builds and operates its own clean energy plants, generating revenue from energy production and hydrogen sales.
- Green Hydrogen Production: Partnership with H2Renewables for multi-site landfill gas to hydrogen production, with first site producing 12 tonnes of hydrogen per day and identified sites capable of 60+ tonnes per day.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
ReCarbon product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ReCarbon develops and sells the Plasma Carbon Conversion Unit (PCCU), a modular greenhouse gas processing system that uses patented microwave-plasma Emission Blades to convert carbon dioxide and methane into hydrogen and syngas. Standard 40-foot container modules house 60–70 Emission Blades producing up to 900 kg of hydrogen per day at zero carbon intensity. The company also builds and operates its own clean energy plants and offers a containerized plasma reformer unit variant for transportable biogas deployments.
Product overview
ReCarbon offers a technology platform built around its Plasma Carbon Conversion Unit (PCCU) — a modular greenhouse gas processing system that converts carbon dioxide and methane into hydrogen and syngas. The core technology is the Emission Blade, a patented microwave-plasma generation device. The PCCU comes in standard 40-foot container configurations and is scalable through stacking multiple units. The company also offers a containerized plasma reformer variant for transportable deployments. These products enable distributed syngas production from industrial emissions and biogas sources, producing low-carbon, zero-carbon, or carbon-negative products including hydrogen, methanol, ethanol, and sustainable aviation fuel.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Plasma Carbon Conversion Unit (PCCU) The PCCU is ReCarbon's modular greenhouse gas processing system that transforms carbon emissions (CO2 and CH4) into hydrogen and syngas. Standard 40-foot container modules are configured with 60–70 Emission Blades and can produce up to 900 kg of hydrogen per day. The system is scalable and stackable for projects of any size and is sold to industrial emitters, landfill operators, municipalities, and energy companies.
- Containerized Plasma Reformer Unit A fully containerized, transportable plasma reformer system designed for commercial deployment at biogas sites, partnering with local governments to transform waste emissions into clean fuels. Built on ReCarbon's core microwave-plasma technology and intended as a transportable, project-ready variant of the PCCU platform.
Quantifiable outcome
- 900kg hydrogen production per day per PCCU module (70 Emission Blades in 40-ft container)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use ReCarbon
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
ReCarbon technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
ReCarbon partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.
- City of Lancaster, CaliforniamajorAntelope Valley Circular Hydrogen Initiative (AVCHI) - public-private partnership to transform waste biogases into clean hydrogen at Lancaster Water Reclamation Plant. City purchases hydrogen for its long-term hydrogen development plans.
- Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts (LACSD)minorPartner in AVCHI initiative providing Lancaster Water Reclamation Plant facility for biogas-to-hydrogen conversion project.
- Woodside EnergymajorCollaborative studies program with Lanzatech to convert carbon emissions into useful products. Investigating CCU Pilot Plant in Western Australia using PCCU to convert CO2 and methane to syngas for ethanol production.
- HYZON Zero Carbon AlliancemajorFounding member of industry collaboration platform with AXA, Bank of America, Hiringa Energy, Modern Industrial Group, NEOM, Total SE, and Woodside Energy to advance hydrogen ecosystems worldwide.
- HYZON Motors Inc.coreMOU for global green hydrogen powered heavy mobility projects. ReCarbon supplies biogas-to-hydrogen for HYZON's fuel cell trucks and buses. Continues through HYZON Zero Carbon Alliance founding membership.
- H2Renewables LLCcoreAppointed as national distributor for US landfill gas source applications, handling sales and deployment of ReCarbon solutions. Multi-site landfill gas to hydrogen agreement signed in 2021 with first site producing 12 tonnes hydrogen per day and pipeline of 60+ tonnes/day.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ReCarbon competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- LanzaTech: LanzaTech is a direct competitor in carbon capture and utilization, converting industrial carbon emissions (including CO and CO2) into fuels and chemicals via gas fermentation. ReCarbon and LanzaTech are explicitly paired in the Woodside CCU pilot, and both compete for the same 'carbon-to-value' offtake opportunities with industrial emitters.
- Twelve (formerly Opus 12): Twelve is a direct peer in CO2 utilization, using a different technology pathway (electrocatalysis) to convert captured CO2 into chemicals, fuels, and materials. Both companies pursue the carbon-to-value thesis for industrial emitters and compete for similar offtake customers and policy support.
- Carbon Clean Solutions: Carbon Clean Solutions is a direct peer in industrial carbon capture and point-source emissions treatment. While focused on capture rather than conversion, it competes for the same industrial-decabonization buyer as ReCarbon and could evolve into an upstream feed supplier.
Broad incumbents
- Climeworks: Climeworks is a broad incumbent in the carbon-management space, operating direct air capture facilities. While Climeworks focuses on DAC rather than point-source conversion, it competes for the same corporate carbon-removal buyers, IRA incentives, and climate-tech capital.
- Plug Power: Plug Power is a broad incumbent in green hydrogen production, electrolyzer manufacturing, and fuel-cell mobility. ReCarbon and Plug both target green-H2 offtake customers (including heavy mobility), but Plug operates at vastly larger scale and competes on cost trajectory with its electrolyzer stack.
- Nel ASA: Nel ASA is a broad incumbent in electrolyzer manufacturing for green hydrogen production. ReCarbon's plasma CCU competes against Nel's PEM and alkaline electrolyzer pathway for green-H2 offtake customers and IRA 45V production credits.
- Cummins (Accelera by Cummins): Accelera (Cummins' zero-emissions business) is a broad incumbent in electrolyzers, fuel cells, and hydrogen production. It competes with ReCarbon for green-H2 offtake customers and IRA-funded hydrogen projects at materially larger scale.
- Chiyoda Corporation: Chiyoda is a broad incumbent in industrial-scale carbon capture, with its flagship SPERA H2/Methanol technology enabling CO2-to-fuels pathways. Chiyoda competes with ReCarbon for industrial CO2-to-products opportunities in the petrochemical and refining sectors.
Emerging players
- ION Clean Energy: ION Clean Energy is an emerging player in industrial carbon capture using solvent-based technology. While focused on capture rather than conversion, ION overlaps with ReCarbon's industrial-emitter customer base and competes for the same decarbonization capital.
Others
- Hyzon Motors: Hyzon is both a strategic partner and customer of ReCarbon, supplying fuel-cell trucks and buses that consume ReCarbon's green hydrogen. As an offtake counterparty, Hyzon's commercial traction directly drives ReCarbon's hydrogen offtake volumes.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ReCarbon social profiles
Digital presenceReCarbon compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
ReCarbon financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ReCarbon leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
ReCarbon funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ReCarbon M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ReCarbon
What does ReCarbon do?
ReCarbon develops and sells the Plasma Carbon Conversion Unit (PCCU), a modular greenhouse gas processing system that uses patented microwave-plasma Emission Blades to convert carbon dioxide and methane into hydrogen and syngas. Standard 40-foot container modules house 60–70 Emission Blades producing up to 900 kg of hydrogen per day at zero carbon intensity. The company also builds and operates its own clean energy plants and offers a containerized plasma reformer unit variant for transportable biogas deployments.
Is ReCarbon a public or private company?
ReCarbon is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was ReCarbon founded?
ReCarbon was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ReCarbon based?
ReCarbon is headquartered in Santa Clara, United States, in the North America region.
How does ReCarbon make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. PCCU System Sales are the primary driver. The others are clean Energy Plant Operations and green Hydrogen Production.
Who are ReCarbon's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are LanzaTech, Twelve (formerly Opus 12) and Carbon Clean Solutions. Broad incumbents are Climeworks, Plug Power, Nel ASA, Cummins (Accelera by Cummins) and Chiyoda Corporation. ION Clean Energy is listed as an emerging player. Hyzon Motors is listed as an others.
Does ReCarbon have an API?
No public API is recorded for ReCarbon.
What industry is ReCarbon in?
ReCarbon's product category is Carbon Capture and Conversion Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUABAIAA, E‑Fuels & Synthetic Hydrocarbons (e‑kerosene, e‑diesel, e‑gasoline, e‑methane), with a secondary code of EUAJAJAC, RNG Interconnection, Gas Quality & Upgrading Compliance. Its NAICS code is 32512 and its SIC code is 3567.