DACMA Sets the Course for Its Next Phase of Growth
A new shareholder structure and a generational transition in management lay the groundwork for the industrial scaling of Direct Air Capture
Hamburg, 21 .07.2026 – DACMA GmbH is entering a new phase in its corporate development. With the eFUEL GROUP as its new majority shareholder and a newly appointed management team, the Hamburg-based company is paving the way to scale its direct-air-capture technology to an industrial level and accelerate its international growth.
Since its founding, DACMA has been committed to the decarbonization of industrial processes. In recent years, the company has continuously refined its technology, established international partnerships, and demonstrated the performance of its systems in challenging projects. Building on this progress, the next step is now taking shape: the shift from technology development to large-scale implementation.
With the eFUEL GROUP, DACMA gains a strategic majority shareholder that shares the company’s long-term vision and actively supports its development. The new shareholder structure strengthens DACMA’s financial and strategic foundation—and thus its ability to implement international projects more quickly and meet the rising demands of a dynamic carbon management market.
At the same time, DACMA is undergoing a generational transition in its leadership: after many years, Founder & former CEO Jörg Spitzner is retiring. Alexander Backs and Benjamin Scharrer, who have been with DACMA since the beginning, are stepping up as the company’s new Co-CEOs, leading it forward into this next chapter.
“DACMA has built a strong technological foundation in recent years. We are now building on that,” say Co-CEOs Benjamin Scharrer and Alexander Backs. “Our goal is to take Direct Air Capture from the pilot phase to industrial scale and offer our customers solutions that are technically sound, economically viable, and make a measurable contribution to climate protection. Together with our team and the support of the eFUEL GROUP, we are shaping the next stage of our company’s development.”
“With DACMA, we are investing in a key technology that is central to the defossilization of industrial processes and to building high-quality carbon cycles. What matters here is not symbolic sustainability communication, but the development of real, verifiable, and scalable projects,” says Dr. Lorenz Kiene, CEO of the eFUEL GROUP.
The new leadership team embodies both continuity and renewal. Innovation, technological excellence, and collaborative partnerships remain the values on which DACMA has been built since its founding. At the same time, the company is strategically reshaping its organization, creating efficient structures for sustainable growth, and expanding its international market presence.
The global demand for reliable carbon management solutions is growing steadily. Industrial companies are increasingly seeking technologies that not only prevent emissions but also permanently offset unavoidable CO₂ emissions. Direct Air Capture is thus becoming an integral part of future climate strategies and a climate-neutral industry.
DACMA is already working with international partners on projects with significant scaling potential, underscoring that Direct Air Capture is becoming an industrially relevant solution.
For DACMA, this step represents more than just a change in ownership or management structure. It reflects the company’s ambition to establish itself in the long term as a leading international technology partner in the field of Direct Air Capture—together with employees, customers, and partners who are actively shaping the transition to a climate-neutral economy.
About DACMA GmbH
Headquartered in Hamburg, DACMA GmbH develops and manufactures innovative direct-air-capture systems for removing CO₂ from the atmosphere. Its modular technologies are used in the fields of Carbon Capture and Storage (DACCS) and Carbon Capture and Utilization (DACCU). Together with international partners, DACMA implements projects for permanent CO₂ removal, thereby actively contributing to the decarbonization of industrial processes worldwide.
About the eFUEL GROUP
The eFUEL GROUP develops and structures investment opportunities in the areas of eFuel, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (eSAF), and carbon management. With a technology-neutral strategy, the company supports projects that advance the shift toward low-greenhouse-gas energy and carbon systems while taking both environmental and economic objectives into account.
From the Port of Hamburg to the world: DACMA is developing DAC technology for global deployment at its new Competence Centre
Guest article by Oliver Schenk – Hamburg Renewable Energy Cluster
WitIn a recent guest article on the website of the Hamburg Renewable Energy Cluster, Oliver Schenk highlights the new DACMA Competence Centre currently under construction in the Port of Hamburg – → click here for the full article.
With the ground-breaking ceremony in December 2025, DACMA GmbH has given the go-ahead for an industrial research and development centre for Direct Air Capture (DAC). The centre bridges the gap between laboratory, prototype and commercial deployment – with a focus on the further development of existing DAC plants as well as the development of a new generation for international roll-out.
At the heart of the international strategy is a long-term partnership with Deep Sky, Canada’s leading developer of large-scale carbon removal projects. Together, DACMA and Deep Sky are developing the next generation of DAC technology for one of the world’s largest DACCS plants – with a scaling perspective from an initial 600 tonnes up to 500,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually. A strong signal: technology from Hamburg is playing a central role in one of the world’s most ambitious climate protection projects.
Groundbreaking ceremony for the new DACMA Competence Center in the Port of Hamburg
- sat 1 : https://www.sat1regional.de/klimawandel-technologie-aus-hamburg-soll-in-kanada-co2-aus-der-luft-filtern/
- NDR : https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/hamburg/direkt-aus-der-luft-forschungszentrum-testet-co2-abscheidungstechnologie,dacma-100.html
- Tagesschau : https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/regional/hamburg/direkt-aus-der-luft-forschungszentrum-testet-co2-abscheidungstechnologie,dacma-100.html
From vision to reality: building the DACMA Competence Center
With a groundbreaking ceremony, DACMA GmbH, eFuel DAC GmbH, and eFuel GmbH Groundbreaking ceremony for the DACMA Competence Center. The research and development center will serve as a central platform for the further development of modular direct air capture (DAC) plants—a key technology that captures carbon dioxide directly from the ambient air and thus makes a decisive contribution to climate protection.
Hamburg sets an example for climate protection and innovation
At the same time, DACMA announced a major order from Canadian project developer Deep Sky to supply the first DAC plants for a large-scale project in Canada. This milestone underscores Hamburg’s role as a center of innovation and demonstrates the economic maturity of CO₂ removal from the atmosphere.
Dr. Melanie Leonhard, Senator for Economics, Labor, and Innovation, emphasized:
“The DACMA Competence Center is an important step for Hamburg: We are extracting carbon dioxide directly from the air and turning it into an opportunity for industry, value creation, and climate protection. Here in the port, Hamburg is showing how ideas become infrastructure and innovation has an international impact.”
Hanspeter Tiede, CEO of eFuel DAC GmbH, explained:
“By capturing CO₂ directly from the air, we are laying the foundation for climate-neutral fuels. The DACMA Competence Center is a crucial step in bringing this technology from the laboratory to industrial application.”
Jörg Spitzner, CEO of DACMA GmbH, added:
“Today’s groundbreaking ceremony marks the beginning of a new era: Here, we are developing technologies that can be used worldwide to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere.”
Significance of the DACMA Competence Center
The new test center will:
- improve technical components,
- make operating processes more efficient,
- advance new research topics with international universities and research institutions.
In addition, the site will serve as a test center for extensive trials of Generation 2 DAC technology before it is used in international projects – particularly in Canada for partner Deep Sky.
International dimension – cooperation with Deep Sky
Deep Sky plans to build commercial plants in Canada targeting a million tonnes of CO₂ removal per year. One of the underlying technologies will be provided by DACMA GmbH from Hamburg. This cooperation is a strong signal for international climate policy and expands the strategic energy and hydrogen partnership between Germany and Canada to include carbon dioxide removal (CDR).
PEGASUS project – First project of the Competence Center
The first major project of the Competence Center is PEGASUS, a cooperation between DACMA GmbH, Lother GmbH, and TUHH. The aim is to commercialize DAC technologies and integrate them into port infrastructure. PEGASUS is developing an integrated system for the climate-neutral production of methanol based on atmospheric CO₂ and green hydrogen – a central building block for a climate-friendly energy and chemical industry.
Stakeholders and partners involved
- DACMA GmbH
- eFuel DAC GmbH and eFuel GmbH
- Evos Hamburg GmbH
- Hamburg Port Authority (HPA)
- TUHH – Hamburg University of Technology
- Lother GmbH
- Canadian Embassy
The DACMA Competence Center in Hamburg is creating a place where responsibility shapes the future. It sends a signal to everyone that technology and cooperation can preserve our environment and create a world worth living in for future generations.
“In just one year, DACMA GmbH has achieved an exponential progress in the atmospheric carbon capture journey. The strategic alliance with Repsol (both in Venturing Capital and projects) will boost the pace of this highly focused group of outstanding engineers that are persistently looking for every angle of the technology improvement. Take the time to celebrate, acknowledge your success and keep going!!!”
“One of the most relevant projects related to the development of technologies with a negative CO2 effect, the ONLY project in Brazil on Direct Air Capture multi-country Spain, Brazil Germany in Open Innovation. Repsol Sinopec Brazil Corporation, Start Up DACMA and PUC Rio Grande do Sul University. A disruptive commitment to a more decarbonized world. Being part of this project is a privilege and a unique opportunity to add value to society.”
“In collaboration with Phoenix Contact, DACMA has developed an application that contributes to CO2 decarbonization. This technology makes a significant contribution to sector coupling in the All Electric Society and to the sustainable use of energy. I am delighted that two technology-driven companies are working together so efficiently.”
“The DACMA GmbH with Jörg Spitzner and his team are not only valuable partners in our network, but also key initiators and innovators who, with DACMA, are driving forward DAC system engineering in the Hamburg metropolitan region – an essential future climate change mitigation technology.”
“Together with our partner DACMA GmbH, we are delighted to be building the first DAC machine on the HAMBURG BLUE HUB site in the Port of Hamburg. The 30-60 tons output of CO2 annually of the DACMA machine can later be used to produce e-methanol for the Port of Hamburg, for example. This is a joint milestone, as it fits in with the plan to purchase large volumes of synthetic fuels from Power-to-X plants in Africa and South America for Germany through the HAMBURG BLUE HUB”.
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