CarbonX’s second round: 50 teams, US$28m and real‑world pilots

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Global emissions remain high at over 40 billion tons of CO₂ annually, with the global average temperature for 2024 already estimated at 1.6°C above pre‑industrial levels. Against that backdrop, Tencent’s CarbonX program focuses on accelerating climate technologies from lab concept to deployment.

In its second iteration, CarbonX has named 50 finalists selected from more than 660 applicants across 54 countries and regions. These teams are competing for a share of US$28 million in catalytic funding and opportunities to pilot their solutions in Kenya, the Maldives, and Serbia.

The program convenes scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and partners to convert promising ideas into commercially viable tools that can cut emissions and store carbon sustainably.

Four tracks shaping the field

CarbonX groups the finalists across four focus areas. Each track targets a different bottleneck on the path to net‑zero – from removing carbon to decarbonizing heavy industry and stabilizing renewable power.

1. Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) – removing carbon for good

• Biochar from farm waste – locks carbon in soils for hundreds of years and produces renewable bio‑oil that can support local industries.
• Enhanced rock weathering – uses crushed minerals to capture CO₂ in rainwater, with high‑precision sensors and satellite data verifying safe storage.
• Soil microbes – approaches that both sequester carbon and boost crop yields.
• Direct air capture (DAC) with microwaves – systems that achieve comparable removal using 90 percent less energy than steam-based regeneration.

Key takeaway: CDR solutions highlighted here aim to be measurable, cost‑aware, and deployable across farms and modular DAC sites.

2. Industrial decarbonization – reinventing heavy industry

Steelmaking accounts for over seven percent of global CO₂ emissions. One CarbonX approach captures CO₂ from steel furnaces and converts it into hydrogen and carbon monoxide that feed back into the process, cutting emissions without slowing output. Crucially, the system can be retrofitted to existing plants.

Key takeaway: Hard‑to‑abate sectors are testing closed‑loop integrations that reduce emissions within today’s industrial footprint.

3. Carbon Capture & Utilization (CarbonXmade) – turning emissions into products

• CO₂‑based surfactants and polymers – materials for household goods (e.g., shampoo, detergent, paint) that replace petrochemical inputs and can reduce product emissions by up to 65 percent.
• Agricultural waste to protein and fertilizers – producing high‑value protein while creating organic fertilizers that store carbon in soil and improve soil health.

Key takeaway: Treating carbon as a feedstock allows markets to scale lower‑emission goods without depending solely on mandates.

4. Long‑Duration Energy Storage (LDES) – keeping clean energy always on

• Organic flow batteries – low‑cost, non‑toxic electrolytes delivering reliable power at about one‑third the cost of conventional systems.
• Thermal‑integrated LDES – storage that provides heating and cooling while powering microgrids for island communities, with overall efficiency above 90 percent and storage duration exceeding 10 hours.

Key takeaway: These solutions target dependable renewable energy for homes, businesses, and climate‑vulnerable communities.

Snapshot: tracks and headline metrics

The table below condenses the standout figures and capabilities mentioned across the four tracks, providing a quick reference for what each area targets.

Read also our article: CarbonXmade moves CCU from lab to shelves with new product trio

Collaboration first

Behind each concept is a network of teams and industry partners working across continents. CarbonX’s structure is designed to connect these stakeholders so solutions can move from concept to commercial impact more quickly.

Official video

Program video overview:

More details

Official announcement and finalist list: https://www.tencent.com/en-us/articles/2202215.html

Final checkpoint – why this matters

For readers tracking climate tech, the CarbonX shortlist signals where near‑term deployment is heading: measurable removal, retrofit‑friendly industrial cycles, CO₂‑based materials, and storage that stabilizes renewables. The next phase places these systems in real‑world pilots across climate‑vulnerable regions – a practical test of scalability and impact.