UK cleantech company Ki 13, formerly known as Ki Hydrogen, has secured $5 million in seed funding to build an industrial pilot plant. The plant will demonstrate its biomass electrolysis technology for producing green hydrogen and biogenic carbon dioxide at a larger scale. The company is focused on reducing feedstock costs for synthetic fuels and chemicals, including sustainable aviation fuel, e-methanol and e-methane.
Funding and Investor Support
The seed round was led by HICO Investment Group, with participation from BURGEST 2007 SL, Triple Impact Ventures, GiTV and Desai Ventures. Ki 13 also secured non-dilutive match funding from Innovate UK to support the next stage of technology development. The same investor group previously backed the company at the pre-seed stage.
Investor Confidence
Investors see the company as tackling one of the main economic barriers to scaling green hydrogen and synthetic fuels. Ki 13 is working to replace costly production inputs with a more affordable pathway that could unlock broader commercial adoption. Continued backing from HICO Investment Group reflects confidence in the company's progress since its pre-seed round.
A More Efficient Production Pathway
Ki 13 has developed an electrochemical process that converts lignocellulosic biomass into separate streams of green hydrogen and biogenic carbon dioxide. These outputs serve as critical feedstocks for synthetic fuels and chemicals. Conventional production typically combines water electrolysis for hydrogen with direct air capture for carbon dioxide, both of which are highly energy intensive.
Energy Requirements Compared
According to company figures, the process requires around 25 kilowatt hours of electricity per kilogram of hydrogen and 300 kilowatt hours per tonne of biogenic carbon dioxide. By comparison, water electrolysis can require about 50 kilowatt hours per kilogram, while direct air capture may consume between 2,000 and 3,000 kilowatt hours per tonne. The lower energy intensity could materially reduce the cost of producing cleaner fuels at scale.
Biomass Feedstock Strategy
The technology runs on residual lignocellulosic biomass sourced from agriculture, forestry and other biological streams. Ki 13 is prioritising underutilised residues rather than purpose-grown feedstocks, which supports resource efficiency and avoids competition with food production. This approach can also strengthen domestic resilience by relying on local resources instead of imported fossil fuels.
From Laboratory to Industrial Pilot
The seed funding fully covers the construction of an industrial pilot plant the team has already been designing. Ki 13 expects to commission the facility next year and use it to validate that the economic benefits observed in the laboratory continue at industrially relevant scale. The pilot is intended to demonstrate the lowest-cost production of green hydrogen and biogenic carbon dioxide for affordable synthetic fuels.
Commercial Traction
Beyond the pilot, Ki 13 is planning a commercial demonstration plant and reports more than $15 million of initial annual off-take demand. The company aims to begin delivering against that demand as it moves further toward commercial deployment. This interest suggests early market appetite for lower-cost feedstocks in synthetic fuel production.
Ki 13's seed funding marks a step toward commercialising a lower-energy process for producing key feedstocks used in cleaner fuels. The company will now focus on proving that its biomass electrolysis technology can perform at industrial scale while maintaining the cost and energy advantages seen in the lab. Its progress could support broader efforts to make sustainable aviation fuel and other synthetic products more economically viable.