DNP backs Japan's JCCL to scale membrane-based CO2 capture
What's the deal? Dai Nippon Printing (DNP)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has invested in JCCLDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Fukuoka-based startup developing membrane separation technology to capture CO2 from combustion gases emitted by factories. The investment closed on July 31, 2026, deepening a partnership the two firms began in October 2025.
What's the endgame? The pair aims to build low-cost, high-efficiency CO2 capture devices by combining JCCL's materials, which selectively let CO2 pass through, with DNP's precision coating, analysis, and equipment-manufacturing expertise. They plan to develop a demonstration unit by fiscal 2028, then scale it up for DNP's own manufacturing sites.
Why now? Decarbonisation has become a pressing challenge for manufacturers. Even with energy efficiency measures and renewables, some CO2 emissions from production remain unavoidable — driving demand for capture technology.
What's next? DNP will first use the devices to cut its own group emissions, aligning with its goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions at its sites under its "DNP Group Environmental Vision 2050." It then plans to offer the technology to outside companies and build a carbon recycling business that reuses captured CO2 as a resource for products and fuels.
The signal: The deal reflects how industrial players are moving to commercialise carbon capture in-house, treating their own factories as proving grounds before selling the technology externally. Membrane separation promises smaller equipment and lower energy use than conventional methods, a bet that could make capture viable at scale.
Image credit: wissenschaftsjahr
