Cattura della CO2, accordo tra CapeCarbon e Michelin per primo impianto industriale

A startup based in Turin, CarpeCarbon, and Michelin Italiana have signed an agreement to develop an atmospheric carbon dioxide capture and utilization project at Michelin's tire production facility in Cuneo. This marks the construction of CarpeCarbon's first industrial-scale direct air capture (DAC) system, which will integrate into the production process after a pilot was launched in December 2025 at the company's headquarters in Caselle, near Turin.

The agreement ensures that the captured CO₂ will be available for specific industrial applications on the site, helping to replace a portion of the carbon dioxide received by Michelin from external suppliers. The captured CO₂ that is not delivered to Michelin will be managed independently by CarpeCarbon, with the aim of storing it and creating carbon credits.

The plant, with an investment value of two million euros, will have a nominal capacity of 300 tonnes of CO₂ per year and is expected to come online in the second half of 2027. CarpeCarbon aims to increase its total capture capacity to 5,000 tonnes per year by 2028-2029 and 50,000 tonnes by 2030 through a growth model based on modular, integrable systems for existing industrial sites, utilizing low-temperature heat (such as waste heat available on-site) and standalone modular plants powered by solar heat alone, both of which require minimal energy.

Giuliano Antoniciello, cofounder and CEO of CarpeCarbon, emphasizes the importance of beginning this plan with a significant industrial player like Michelin Italiana, stating that this will serve as a starting point for extending the model to many other industrial realities in Italy, Europe, and worldwide. The plant features large filters where atmospheric air is passed through, capturing CO₂ molecules through a solid solvent, leaving the rest.

The use of this captured CO₂, which can be measured and certified, presents interesting perspectives for storage, such as mineralization in construction materials, geological formations like basaltic rocks, or as raw material in various industrial processes and applications, ranging from carbonated drinks to sustainable aviation fuel.

CarpeCarbon is already developing its own geological storage capacity in Italy, having mapped all suitable sites for this operation. Founded in 2022, CarpeCarbon is essentially an EPC (engineering, procurement, and construction) operator, handling engineering, procurement, construction, and post-sale maintenance. Antoniciello, speaking to investors including Cdp Venture Capital and 360 Capital, notes that the company has raised approximately 4.5 million euros in venture capital and half a million euros in favorable financing.

With positive news about the recognition of carbon removal in the ETS (European emissions trading system) integration and many clients requesting adoption of technologies like theirs in their facilities, the startup must now grow quickly.