CREW Carbon

CREW Carbon, founded in 2022 by Dr. Joachim Katchinoff and Professor Noah Planavsky, is a climate technology company that emerged from research conducted at Yale University. The founders’ extensive backgrounds in geochemistry and earth sciences form the bedrock of the company's mission. Katchinoff, who serves as CEO, spent years investigating the global carbon cycle, which directly informs the company's core technology.

The firm operates in the carbon dioxide removal (CDR) market, specifically targeting the wastewater treatment sector. Its business model centers on transforming municipal and industrial wastewater facilities into carbon removal hubs. This is achieved by deploying a proprietary technology that accelerates the natural process of enhanced weathering within the controlled environment of these plants. CREW introduces precise formulas of natural, alkaline minerals into wastewater streams, which are inherently rich in biogenic CO2 from microbial decomposition. This process converts the CO2 into stable bicarbonate ions that are permanently sequestered when the treated water is discharged into rivers and ultimately the ocean.

Revenue is generated through the sale of verified carbon removal credits to corporations and governments aiming to meet climate targets. In a significant milestone, CREW Carbon secured a $32.1 million offtake agreement with Frontier, a consortium including major companies like Stripe, Alphabet, and JP Morgan Chase, to deliver over 71,000 tons of carbon removal by 2030. The company has already commenced delivery on this agreement, with its first batch of credits from its New Haven, Connecticut operations verified by the carbon registry Isometric. For its clients, the wastewater facilities, CREW's solution offers operational co-benefits, such as improved pH and alkalinity management, which can lower treatment costs and enhance pollutant removal.

The company's approach is designed for rapid and scalable deployment by integrating into existing infrastructure, which minimizes capital expenditure and utilizes existing permits. CREW has developed a proprietary monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) system, including inlet and outlet sensor arrays, to precisely quantify the amount of CO2 removed in its closed-system process. Having secured $5.3 million in an oversubscribed seed funding round, the company is expanding its team and deploying its systems at additional plants in the U.S. and Europe. Keywords: carbon dioxide removal, enhanced weathering, wastewater treatment, carbon credits, geochemistry, climate-tech, water technology, biogenic CO2, carbon sequestration, permanent carbon storage, alkalinity enhancement, carbon cycle, MRV system, sustainable infrastructure, industrial decarbonization, Yale spinout, carbon capture, water resource recovery, bicarbonate ions, climate solutions