Decarbon

What Decarbon does

Decarbontek, Inc. (operating as Decarbontek, headquartered in Woburn, MA) is a deep-tech startup developing modular solid-sorbent carbon capture systems for heavy industrial and atmospheric CO2 removal. Founded in 2021 by Dr. Yong Ding, a polymer chemist formerly with PoroGen Corp and Air Liquide, the company has approximately 5 employees as of the latest available headcount signal.

The company's core technology is a proprietary Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) based solid adsorbent branded DCF-1, manufactured via a patented green synthesis using water as the sole solvent at ambient pressure, with abundant zinc and citrate inputs. The adsorbent is shaped into structured fiber contactors through a computerized winding process that achieves 80%+ MOF loading, then deployed in modular units that operate via rapid swing adsorption cycles completing capture and regeneration in approximately one minute. The platform runs on recycled low-grade waste heat from the host facility rather than dedicated grid power or steam, and the company claims 90% carbon removal efficiency at 40% lower operating cost relative to conventional liquid-amine capture systems.

Decarbontek operates a multi-stream revenue model: (1) direct sale of Point Source CO2 Capture and Direct Air Capture (DAC) modular systems to heavy industrial emitters (cement, power, aluminum, pulp mills, waste-to-energy) and DAC customers (data centers, chemical/geothermal plants); (2) a Capture as a Service managed model where Decarbontek handles installation, operation, and maintenance; (3) sale of gas treatment and separation solutions; and (4) direct e-commerce-style sale of DCF-1 solid adsorbents and modular cartridges in 200g, 500g, and 1kg units priced at $5-10/kg. Go-to-market is sales-led enterprise field sales with mid-market performance materials distribution, supplemented by accelerator partnerships (Holcim MAQER Ventures 2026), earned media, and content marketing. No revenue figures, funding rounds, or named enterprise customers have been disclosed.

Name

Decarbon

Legal name

Decarbontek, Inc.

Website

https://decarbon.tech

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Decarbontek is a Woburn, MA-based deep-tech startup founded in 2021 that develops modular MOF-based solid-sorbent carbon capture systems for heavy industrial emitters and direct air capture, sold as hardware, performance materials, and Capture as a Service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Carbon Capture Technology

NAICS

Chemical Manufacturing (325)

SIC

Chemicals & Allied Products (2800)

akta.pro primary industry

Post-combustion Capture Systems (Solid Sorbents & Structured Adsorbents) (EUABAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Direct Air Capture (DAC) Systems & Plants (EUABAFAA), Gas Separation & Purification Adsorbents (PSA/TSA) (IMAEAIAI)

Keywords

• Carbon capture technology
• Direct air capture
• Industrial emissions reduction
• MOF adsorbents
• Capture as a service

Headquarters

HQ city

WOBURN, MA

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Point Source CO2 Capture Systems: Sale of modular systems for heavy industrial emitters that connect to existing exhaust and use recycled waste heat to operate. Targets cement plants, power plants, aluminum mills, pulp mills, and waste-to-energy facilities.
2. Direct Air Capture (DAC) Systems: Sale of advanced systems that remove CO2 directly from the atmosphere using renewable power or waste heat to regenerate adsorbent material. Targets data centers, chemical/geothermal plants, and pulp and paper mills.
3. Gas Treatment and Separation: Specialized solutions for cleaning and upgrading gas streams for industrial use or sale.
4. Capture as a Service: Managed model where Decarbontek installs, operates, and maintains the technology. The facility realizes the economic value of carbon capture without taking on operational responsibility.
5. Performance Materials (DCF-1 and Cartridges): Direct sale of proprietary DCF-1 solid adsorbents and modular cartridges available in 200g, 500g, and 1kg units for custom capture projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Decarbontek designs, manufactures, and sells modular solid-state carbon capture systems and proprietary Metal-Organic Framework (MOF) adsorbents for industrial point source emissions and direct air capture (DAC). Offerings include hardware systems for cement, power, aluminum, pulp, and waste-to-energy facilities, modular DCF-1 adsorbent cartridges, gas treatment solutions, and a managed Capture as a Service model where the company installs, operates, and maintains the technology on the customer's behalf.

Product overview

Decarbontek offers a modular carbon capture platform consisting of proprietary hardware systems and performance materials. The core offerings include: (1) Point Source CO₂ Capture and Direct Air Capture (DAC) Systems as primary capture solutions, (2) Structured Adsorbent Contactors and Fast Capture Cycles as underlying technology components, (3) DCF-1 High-Performance Adsorbent as the key performance material made from zinc and citrate, and (4) Capture as a Service and Performance Materials as delivery models. The platform operates using recycled waste heat rather than external energy sources, with 90% carbon removal efficiency and 40% lower operating costs compared to legacy liquid systems.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DCF-1: High-performance adsorbent - next-generation material for superior carbon capture and global scalability using zinc and citrate with a patented green process using water as the sole solvent

Products and services

• Point Source CO2 Capture Systems Modular solid-state carbon capture systems designed for heavy industrial emitters that connect to existing exhaust infrastructure and use recycled waste heat to operate. Targeted at cement plants, power plants, aluminum mills, pulp mills, and waste-to-energy facilities.
• Direct Air Capture (DAC) Systems Advanced systems that remove CO2 directly from the atmosphere using renewable power or waste heat to regenerate adsorbent material. Targeted at data centers, chemical and geothermal plants, and pulp and paper mills.
• Gas Treatment and Separation Specialized solutions for cleaning and upgrading industrial gas streams for downstream use or sale as by-products.
• Capture as a Service
• Performance Materials (DCF-1 Adsorbents and Modular Cartridges) Direct sale of proprietary DCF-1 solid adsorbents and modular cartridges available in 200g, 500g, and 1kg units for custom carbon capture projects, priced at $5-10/kg of material.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% carbon removal efficiency
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Holcim MAQER VenturescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 March 2026Decarbontek was selected for the 2026 Holcim MAQER Ventures Accelerator program. This strategic partnership focuses on innovation in construction materials decarbonization, given Holcim's position as a major cement manufacturer with significant interest in carbon capture technology for their facilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Global Thermostat: Early commercial DAC company using solid sorbent contactor technology to capture CO2 from ambient air. Directly comparable architecture and similar targeting of industrial point-source and DAC use cases.
• Mosaic Materials: MOF-based DAC company acquired by Baker Hughes. Most direct technology peer — both build MOF adsorbents for carbon capture — and now has the distribution and capital of a major oilfield services incumbent.
• CarbonCapture Inc. US-based point-source carbon capture company developing modular DAC and industrial capture systems. Directly comparable as a fellow modular carbon capture startup targeting heavy industrial emitters with technology-based differentiation.
• 1PointFive: Occidental's DAC subsidiary built on Carbon Engineering's liquid-solvent technology. Competes with Decarbontek in industrial and DAC offtake markets and represents a well-capitalized incumbent capture platform.
• Heirloom Carbon: DAC company using limestone-based solid sorbents to capture CO2 directly from the atmosphere. Closest comparable on solid-sorbent DAC architecture and customer overlap in heavy industry and cement-adjacent markets.
• Climeworks: Swiss pioneer in commercial DAC using solid sorbent contactors. Direct competitor in DAC and a reference point for the solid-sorbent DAC category Decarbontek is entering.

Broad incumbents

• Honeywell UOP: Established licensor of amine-based carbon capture technology (e.g., CO2 Solutions, OrthoEase) serving refineries, hydrogen, and ammonia plants. Competes in the same point-source capture category as Decarbontek but from a much larger incumbent position.
• BASF: Global chemicals giant with established adsorbent and catalyst offerings for gas separation and emission control. Represents the incumbent supplier Decarbontek would need to displace in industrial gas treatment and capture offtake.

Emerging players

• Charm Industrial: Carbon removal company using biomass pyrolysis and bio-oil sequestration rather than direct capture. Competes for the same corporate carbon-removal offtake dollars that would otherwise flow to DAC players like Decarbontek.
• Skytree: European DAC startup focused on decentralized, modular solid-sorbent units. Direct competitor in the modular solid-sorbent DAC niche, with a similar distributed-deployment thesis.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Decarbontek
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/decarbontek

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Decarbon