Kapture links up with Deakin’s REACH, aims to trial fertiliser from diesel exhaust in late-2026

Melbourne start-up Kapture has announced a partnership with Deakin University’s Recycling and Clean Energy Commercialisation Hub (REACH), aimed at progressing a device capturing carbon dioxide from combustion engines and converting the gas into fertiliser.

According to a statement from Deakin on Wednesday, Kapture’s technology can be retrofitted to collect diesel pollution from generators, widely used for off-grid infrastructure, with the REACH project to investigate converting CO2 into “a nutrient-rich fertiliser product”.

“Our device… captures the CO2 emissions before they are emitted into the atmosphere. The byproduct is an inert powder that has the potential to be used as a green fertiliser,” said the CEO and founder of Kapture, Raj Bagri.

Bagri’s company will work with Deakin researchers, including Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment senior lecturers Dr Svetlana Stevanovic and Dr Ali Zare, to assess the environmental safety of the material and quantify the value of the byproduct.

“In our labs, we’re analysing the captured byproduct to characterise its composition, ensuring it’s free from diesel residues and suitable for soil application,’ said Stevanovic. 

“This is key to gaining regulatory approval and delivering real environmental benefits.”    

According to the statement, Kapture aims to offer “a practical and scalable solution for hard-to-abate industries,” and to reach greenhouse and field trials “on common Australian cereal and legume crops” in late-2026.

REACH was launched in December 2023 and is one of six hubs that each received $50 million in federal funding as part of the Trailblazer Universities Program.

Picture: Stefanovic and Bagri (supplied)

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