Money pours into CO₂-based fuels

An ambitious approach to cutting the carbon footprint of aviation—using electrochemistry and catalysis to make jet fuel out of carbon dioxide that would otherwise be in the atmosphere—is attracting many millions of dollars in investment. The start-up Air Company says it has raised $69 million in a series B funding round led by the jet fuel supplier Avfuel and supported by several other aviation companies as well as sustainability-focused venture capital funds. The company has a pilot plant in Brooklyn, New York, and is developing larger commercial-scale facilities. Air Company’s cofounder, Staff Sheehan , says the money it raised will help accelerate the timing of those plants. The firm’s process makes jet fuel–grade paraffins from green hydrogen and CO 2 using a solid catalyst inside a fixed-bed reactor. It powers the process with renewable electricity purchased on the local electrical grid. In addition to private funding, the firm has significant