(Yicai) May 13 -- Seabound is open to work with more Chinese shipping firms and government departments, according to Wen Roujia, co-founder of the carbon capture startup.

Seabound’s clients are mostly in Europe, but as a global maritime powerhouse China has great potential for cooperation in areas such as technology localization, policy alignment, manufacturing, pilot projects, and research and development, Wen said in an interview with Yicai today. UK-based Seabound will assess the opportunities in due course, she added.

Founded in 2021 by Wen and Alisha Fredriksson, Seabound offers a system that captures carbon dioxide directly from ship exhausts and converts it into solid limestone particles. It can be retrofitted, eliminates the need for high-pressure CO₂ storage tanks, and helps to ease port logistics, as the limestone can be easily transported for further treatment. 

The system achieved a 78 percent CO₂ capture efficiency rate and a 90 percent sulfur emissions efficiency rate during tests on commercial freighters, according to the company’s own data. The innovation earned Wen and Fredriksson a place among the Top 10 Global Innovators in the Young Inventors Prize 2025. Furthermore, the system has been advanced to isolate and store 95 percent of CO₂during a recent showcase event in the port of Long Beach in the United States.

China has already shown admirable speed and determination in promoting green transformation and achieving its "dual carbon" goals, Wen said, noting that the country also boasts strong investment in green shipping and low-carbon technology, as well as the leadership of companies like China Cosco Shipping in the global decarbonization process. 

China’s aims to reach peak CO₂ emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

Additionally, China's capabilities and potential in green technology, industrial chain support, and research collaboration make it one of the future markets that Seabound values highly, she pointed out.

At this stage, the company is concentrating on commercial deployment and scaling in Europe, laying the groundwork for future global expansion.

Wen said China is rapidly integrating green tech and artificial intelligence with energy conservation and emissions reduction. The collaboration between industry, academia, and research, along with policy support and a well-established industrial chain, has created a vibrant innovation ecosystem, which offers significant potential for cutting-edge climate tech companies in terms of technological research and development and expansion of manufacturing capabilities, she said.

Seabound's system is characterized by its strong scalability, Wen said, allowing for flexible adjustments in carbon capture capacity based on different circumstances. The company believes that localized customization is key to achieving widespread application in China and it aims to combine global standards with local optimization, she added.

The European Patent Office announced the top 10 global innovators in the first standalone edition of its Young Inventors Prize 2025 on May 6. All aged 30 and under, they were selected from over 450 candidates by an independent jury for their contributions to sustainability, healthcare, and industry, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. 

Editor: Tom Litting