SpiralWave Technology: The Future of CO₂-to-Fuel Conversion

SpiralWave has introduced technology that seems to bring science fiction to life. In a recent video review, the company’s co-founder and CEO, Abed Bukhari, demonstrated a device with pulsing plasma waves that rhythmically appear and disappear within a metal tower, igniting in sync with rhythmic clicks from the apparatus. This is not a spacecraft engine but an innovative setup capable of capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere or industrial emissions and converting it into useful compounds.

As Bukhari explained, the device operates using three types of microwave pulses, each with its frequency. These pulses affect different molecular bonds, triggering a series of chemical reactions. The first pulse breaks down carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide (CO), the second breaks down water into hydrogen (H) and hydroxide ions (OH), and the third combines these elements to form methanol.

Methanol produced by the device is a simple hydrocarbon that can be used for direct combustion in internal combustion engines, converted into more complex hydrocarbons (such as jet fuel), or applied in the chemical industry.

The SpiralWave technology is highly energy-efficient: with a carbon dioxide concentration of 90%, the system’s energy-to-chemical conversion efficiency reaches 75-90%, which is a significant advantage over other methods where similar processes reach only about 50% efficiency.

Bukhari’s path to creating this solution began with his work on spectrometers at his previous startup, KomraVision. For semiconductor production, he had to design equipment using cold plasma — this inspired him to create a device for carbon dioxide removal when he realized the need to address the climate crisis.

Together with co-founder Adam Ahmed, who now oversees business development in Silicon Valley, Bukhari founded SpiralWave. The startup has already received $1 million in funding from IndieBio. The company’s first developments were the Nanobeam devices, standing around half a meter tall, and the two-meter-high Microbeam. These installations can produce a ton of methanol with a 90% CO2 flow, consuming around 7000 kWh of energy. SpiralWave also plans to release larger devices, such as Megabeam and Gigabeam, the latter reaching 100 meters in height and capable of removing one gigaton of carbon dioxide per year.

At this stage, the company focuses on implementing compact devices that can be installed at client sites within shipping containers. Ahmed noted that a setup of ten containers could become the largest e-methanol plant in the world.