Climate-tech startup Brisil Technologies raises pre-seed round led by Momentum Capital

Climate tech startup Brisil Technologies has raised Rs 3 crore in a pre-seed funding round from Momentum Capital along with participation from Fondation Botnar.

The fresh capital will be used to expand its production capacity using its proprietary zero waste chemical process, strengthen its team, and scale operations to address the rapidly growing global demand for silica, Brisil Technologies said in a press release.

Founded in 2016 by Tanmay Pandya, Brisil is a sustainability-focused startup creating a circular economy for the silica industry. Through its proprietary chemical process, the company produces sustainable silica from rice husk ash, a residue left by power plants which process rice husk generated as agricultural waste.

Production of  silica from rice husk ash (RHA)  is a truly sustainable alternative to current methods of silica production, which utilise high quantities of river sand & quartz, as well as cause high greenhouse gas emissions too. With a monthly demand pipeline of 6,000 metric tonnes, Brisil plans to further expand its international presence, with a focus on customers across South East Asia and Europe.

Brisil’s proprietary, eco-effective chemical process that produces highly dispersible and precipitated silica is highly sustainable. It uses bio-waste as the raw material for silica production, reduces carbon dioxide emissions compared to traditional silica manufacturing and contributes to fuel efficiency in vehicles that use green tyres by lowering friction and wear. In footwear applications, green silica improves durability and stiffness, enhancing overall performance.

The company claims that it currently serves a mix of domestic and international customers, including well known players in the footwear and tyre segments. It operates a commercial facility with a production capacity of 400 tonnes per month and plans to scale this to 3,000–5,000 tonnes per month to meet increasing demand from customers across tyres, footwear, paints, and allied industries.

It may directly or indirectly compete with the major players in this space such as Solvay, Evonik, Tata Chemicals, Madhu Silica, amongst others.