Mitsui & Co., Ltd. ("Mitsui") says it has invested in Infinium Holdings, Inc. ("Infinium") Series C funding round. Infinium is a US based leading provider of gas conversion solutions and developer of eFuels technology and projects. This is Mitsui's second initiative in the synthetic fuel area, following the investment in Twelve Benefit Corporation announced on February 13, 2025.
Synthetic eFuels are liquid fuels produced through the catalytic chemical reactions that occur between green hydrogen (produced by electrolyzing water using clean energy) and carbon dioxide (CO2). These fuels are expected to play an increasingly important part in efforts to reduce GHG emissions, especially in the transportation and industrial sectors. They offer a number of specific advantages. For example, GHG emissions are over 90% lower compared with fossil fuel-derived products. Synthetic eFuels can also be used as drop-in fuels without the need to modify engines, including aircraft engines, or transportation and storage infrastructure. In addition, they are suitable for applications for which electrification is not viable, such as aviation, shipping, and long-distance land surface transportation.
Infinium is a leader in this industry and was the first in the world to start up a synthetic eFuel production operation using their proprietary reverse water gas shift (RWGS) and Liquid Fuel Production* processes. Its first production plant in Corpus Christi, Texas commenced production in late 2023. Customers include Amazon who uses the eDiesel produced at the plant to fuel its delivery trucks, and Borealis who take the eNaphtha to produce low-carbon plastics. Infinium's second facility is in development in West Texas with a focus on sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) production. Canadian asset management firm Brookfield, which has invested in a wide range of next-generation fuel-related business, and Breakthrough Energy Catalyst, a clean energy investment program, have invested directly into the project. Customers include the International Airlines Group (IAG) and American Airlines who have committed to buy eSAF produced at the new plant.
Mitsui is accelerating its initiatives across the entire carbon value chain, ranging from the recovery of CO2 through direct air capture (DAC) and other methods, to carbon capture and storage (CCS), and the use of CO2 to produce synthetic fuels, as well as the creation and sale of carbon credits. By deepening collaboration across its e-Fuel portfolio companies, Mitsui aims to expand its carbon-neutral fuel manufacturing and sales business, and link clean energy development and various CO2 materials from biomass, DAC, and other sources, with a variety of fuel needs, thereby maximizing the value of its value chain. Mitsui will contribute to the creation of the carbon management industry through the global development of a decarbonized fuel business on a significant scale.
*The reverse water gas process produces synthetic gas from the reaction between green hydrogen and CO2. The Liquid Fuel Production process turns this gas into liquid fuel with the addition of green hydrogen in a proprietary catalytic reaction.