Bizarre Device Sucks CO2 From Atmosphere and Turns It Back Into Fuel

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Can innovative devices help tackle the climate crisis? While the answer remains uncertain, one of the most intriguing climate-tech solutions comes from startup SpiralWave: a tall, translucent column that glows with striking orbs of plasma.

Featured by TechCrunch following its presentation at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, the technology stands out for its unconventional design. Yet it serves a clear, practical goal.

How the Plasma Reactor Works

As the plasma spirals upward through the column, it captures carbon dioxide from the surrounding air and converts it into green methanol—a renewable fuel that, according to its proponents, cuts carbon emissions by 95 percent compared with conventional fuels.

“You can see the plasma here in very quick pulses,” CEO and cofounder Abed Bukhari told TechCrunch. “With every pulse, it breaks down CO2.”

Keeping Cool

Bukhari developed the concept while working at his previous startup, where he used cold plasma—a lower-temperature form of plasma found in fluorescent lights—to construct specialized equipment.

“I needed to build something that can tackle the biggest challenge we face on Earth today: removing vast quantities of CO2,” Bukhari explained to TechCrunch.

SpiralWave has since produced two prototypes: the compact Nanobeam and the Microbeam, which stands over six feet tall and appears in the accompanying footage. The system relies on three precisely tuned microwave pulses at different frequencies. The first breaks CO2 into CO, the second splits H2O into H and OH, and the third recombines these components into methanol.

The process converts roughly 75 percent of the device’s electrical energy into methanol when processing ambient CO2, and up to 90 percent when treating flue gas from industrial sources such as power-plant smokestacks.

Scaling for Greater Impact

At present, the units produce one metric ton of methanol from atmospheric CO2 using about 10,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity. When operating on higher-concentration flue gas, the same yield requires as little as 7,000 kWh. Although this represents a substantial energy input, the system simultaneously removes CO2 while generating a renewable fuel and can run on off-peak renewable power.

Bukhari envisions much larger deployments. His target is a structure exceeding 300 feet in height capable of extracting approximately one gigaton of CO2 annually.

“To fight climate change, we need to remove 10 gigatons of CO2 per year,” Bukhari noted to TechCrunch.

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