Biotech startup Colipi to filter and utilize CO2 from combustion gas at ContiTech location in Hamburg

Continental’s ContiTech group sector has partnered with biotech startup Colipi GmbH, which plans to lease space at the ContiTech site in Hamburg-Harburg and use CO2-rich exhaust gases from production to cultivate microorganisms, both starting in summer 2026.

The goal of the collaboration is to establish one of the world’s largest bioreactors, where bacteria will convert carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2) into valuable biomolecules such as Climate Oil, a sustainable alternative to plant-based oils like palm oil.

Once installed, the bioreactor will receive CO2-rich exhaust directly from the steam generation system at the ContiTech location. This process transforms CO2 into a resource for producing bio-based materials – a major step toward industrial carbon capture and utilization (CCU).

In the summer of 2025, Colipi achieved a major milestone. On August 19, a Colipi team collected exhaust samples from the rooftops of the ContiTech site for lab analysis. The subsequent experiment was successful, demonstrating that untreated combustion gas from steam generation does not inhibit bacterial growth. The microorganisms were able to use the CO2 as a carbon source – even in the presence of trace gases such as 46 ppm nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) and 7 ppm carbon monoxide (CO).

These findings highlight the robustness of Colipi’s biological process and underscore a key advantage of biological CCU technologies over chemical-catalytic methods: their tolerance to fluctuations and impurities in exhaust quality.

“As a spin-off from Hamburg University of Technology, we’re delighted to have found a strong partner in ContiTech here in Hamburg-Harburg. Not only are they giving us space to grow, but they’re also contributing CO2-rich exhaust for our field testing, helping us validate our technology for industrial CCU applications,” says Maximilian Webers, CEO and co-founder of Colipi GmbH.