Adsorbi secures €1M to build pilot plant for its air purification material made from Nordic wood
With fresh capital from Metsä Spring, Chalmers Ventures, and Jovitech Invest, Adsorbi will build a pilot plant in Gothenburg, Sweden, and grow the customer base for its low-emission cellulose-based material that can be used wherever air pollutants are a problem – in air filters, products that remove bad odours, and museums to protect works of art.
Swedish startup Adsorbi, a research-based spinout from Chalmers University of Technology, has raised €1M in funding from Metsä Spring, Chalmers Ventures, Jovitech Invest, and a grant from Sweden’s Innovation Agency for its cellulose-based air purification material. The capital will be used to construct and operate a pilot plant in Gothenburg, develop new products, and grow its customer base. Despite being only a three-year-old company, Adsorbi already has a growing customer base and industry collaborations.
“We joined Adsorbi’s journey 1.5 years ago. The company has achieved all the goals agreed upon at the time and even surprised us investors positively in a few areas. The plan for the company's next phase was very logical, and we are excited to support its implementation. Their development of a pulp-based new product makes them particularly relevant to Metsä Group’s mission. With Adsorbi in our portfolio, we move closer to replacing fossil-based materials in everyday applications," says Niklas von Weymarn, CEO of Metsä Spring.
In October 2024, the European Union (EU) approved the new Ambient Air Quality Directive. The directive prioritises public health by introducing stricter air quality standards for key pollutants, including particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide – all known to cause respiratory issues. The new limits, to be achieved by 2030, bring EU standards closer to the WHO air quality guidelines, pushing businesses into a race to find new air filtering solutions.
According to the World Health Organization, indoor air pollution killed over 3 million people in 2020. Many ailments, such as asthma, heart disease, and lung cancers, can be caused by bad air quality. As people in industrialised nations spend up to 80–90% of their time indoors, maintaining air quality is crucial to keeping people’s health intact.
Adsorbi's high-performing material, derived from Nordic tree cellulose, is designed for targeted pollutant capture, including key nitrogen oxides like nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – major contributors to air pollution – as well as acids and aldehydes. Aldehydes are commonly found in cosmetics, perfumes, cleaning products, odourant dispensers, and grooming aids. This means Adsorbi’s patented material can be used wherever gaseous air pollutants are a problem – in air filters, products that remove odours, and in museums to protect artefacts and works of art.
Unlike the current market standard, which is activated carbon, Adsorbi’s material lasts longer, doesn’t release any hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) back into the air, is water and fire-resistant, and changes color to indicate when it needs to be replaced. Adsorbi is also a more energy-efficient alternative, generating around 50% lower CO2 emissions – 3.5 kg CO2 per kilogram of material – compared to activated carbon, which has an emission factor of 7.5 kg CO2 per kilogram of material.
“We’re grateful to our investors for their continued support. With the funding we will establish pilot production, a crucial step for scaling Adsorbi. Air pollutant control is needed in many markets, and we’re ready to offer a commercial solution that ensures the air we breathe is clean without extensive use of fossil-based materials,” says Hanna Johansson, CEO of Adsorbi.
In September 2024, Adsorbi company won the national final at the SEB Next Awards in the New Ideas category. Additionally, Adsorbi announced its partnership with Icebug, a world leader in grip footwear, and Smellwell, launching a new generation of commercial shoe deodoriser inserts available on Icebug’s online store and in selected retailers. The company has also entered collaborations with multinational air filtration companies and launched several other products, including air fresheners for homes and sustainable art conservation products.
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For additional information:
Media kit with pictures
Media kit with pictures from Metsä Spring
Hanna Johansson
CEO, Adsorbi
hanna@adsorbi.com
Niklas von Weymarn, CEO
Metsä Spring
Niklas.VonWeymarn@metsagroup.com
About Adsorbi
Adsorbi was founded in 2022 from research in applied chemistry at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden. Adsorbi is a startup company developing bio-based materials for air pollutants and odour removal. By using wood-based cellulose as a raw material, Adsorbi offers innovative materials with both sustainability and high performance in focus. Contact us at www.adsorbi.com.
About Metsä Spring
Metsä Group’s innovation company Metsä Spring invests in and supports potential innovations and technologies that find new purposes and higher value for Nordic wood to replace fossil-based materials and chemicals in everyday products. We promote a culture of diversity, equality and inclusion.
To date, Metsä Spring has made six external startup investments (Woodio, Innomost, Montinutra, Fiberwood, Adsorbi, and FineCell), and has launched three in-house development projects, Kuura textile fibre, Muoto packaging solutions and capture of biogenic CO2. Contact us at metsaspring.com.
