Cemvita Factory, a carbon-negative company, today announced that it has received equity investment from Oxy Low Carbon Ventures to support the commercialization of new bio-engineered pathways that use CO2 as the feedstock for sustainable production of intermediate chemicals and polymers.

Cemvita Factory is a Houston-based biotech startup that’s on a mission to create economical solutions for a sustainable future. Cemvita Factory’s technology includes a CO2 utilization platform that mimics photosynthesis and other natural processes to produce industrial chemicals and polymers for energy sustainability, resulting in a carbon-negative impact.

“It’s a strategic focus for us to develop and commercialize synergistic new products and technologies that utilize CO2,” said Richard Jackson, Occidental Petroleum’s Senior Vice President, Operations Support. “Cemvita Factory’s CO2 utilization platform enables us to harness the power of nature and create new sustainable pathways for the biomanufacturing of our products.”

“With the investment received from Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, we’ll demonstrate that our technology can economically scale from test tube to the field,” said Moji Karimi, co-founder and CEO of Cemvita Factory. “We have an ambitious goal to take one gigaton of CO2 out of the carbon cycle in the next decade and are very excited about being a part of Occidental’s journey to become a carbon-neutral company.”

CO2 conversion by Cemvita Factory’s biomanufacturing platform happens under ambient temperature and pressure, mitigating the emissions resulting from traditionally energy-intensive chemical and catalytic conversions. This same technology is able to turn polymer production into a low carbon activity by utilizing CO2 as a feedstock, a crucial step in building a circular carbon economy.

Cemvita Factory is contributing to a more sustainable future on Earth, as well as in deep space exploration. The company has already applied its in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) platform for conversion of CO2 to glucose in a process that mimics photosynthesis. Glucose can be a direct food source for astronauts or used as a building block for onsite manufacturing of other nutrients and pharmaceuticals on earth and in space.

Cemvita Factory is currently working with a number of clients in the energy industry to help them use CO2 as a resource to lower their carbon footprint. In the future, the company hopes to expand its technology portfolio by integration of services across carbon capture, utilization, and storage.

About Cemvita Factory

Cemvita Factory, INC (CF), is on a mission to create a sustainable future by transforming CO2 into value-added products. This conversion platform leverages the biomimicry of natural processes to sustainably produce chemicals and polymers.

About Oxy Low Carbon Ventures

Oxy Low Carbon Ventures, LLC (OLCV), a subsidiary of Occidental, capitalizes on Occidental’s enhanced oil recovery (EOR) leadership by developing carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) projects that source anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) and promotes innovative technologies that drive cost efficiencies and economically grows Occidental’s business while reducing emissions.