Startup receives over $25 million to solve major issue in water supply: 'Exacerbating the root problem'

Capture6, a decarbonization and water technology startup, is on track to start a game-changing water recovery project.

According to Carbon Herald, Capture6 will use its $27 million from investors to advance a system that converts brine waste into freshwater.

For those unaware, brine waste (or wastewater) is a solution with high amounts of salts, per Samco. While it can be natural, it's often a byproduct of human activity. Chemical plants, cooling towers, and irrigation runoff, to list a few examples, all produce brine waste.

Wastewater is usually sent to a treatment facility to remove the chemicals and return it to the water cycle. However, the process isn't so simple.

Capture6 CEO Ethan Cohen-Cole said in a statement reported by Carbon Herald, "Climate change is creating water insecurity for much of the world's population, driving up demand for freshwater worldwide, and exacerbating the root problem as current methods of water treatment are carbon intensive."

While wastewater treatment plants are attempting carbon neutrality, they account for up to 7% of global carbon pollution. There's also a widespread water crisis. Over half of U.S. groundwater sites are seriously depleted, and a 2024 study found that over 4 billion people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water.

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Systems like these are necessary to provide people in need with the clean, non-contaminated water they deserve.

What's more, Capture6's revolutionary system will convert wastewater into a solvent that mineralizes carbon, removing pollution from the atmosphere. According to its website, the company's business model allows for rapid scaling so that these solutions are achieved now, not later.

Tetrad Corporation, a key investor, seems to agree. In a statement published by ESG Today, board member Aaron Hilkemann said: "Numerous businesses and industries face wastewater disposal and freshwater acquisition challenges to their growth and long-term success. In Capture6, we see a company committed to addressing these challenges head-on."

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