Via Separations

Via Separations is a Watertown, MA-based cleantech company that has developed a breakthrough graphene oxide membrane technology for industrial separations - one of the most energy-intensive processes in global manufacturing. Spun out of MIT's Department of Materials Science & Engineering, the company has engineered a proprietary membrane filter that replaces energy-inefficient, heat-based thermal separation processes (such as evaporation and distillation) with a filtration approach that consumes up to 90% less energy. The membranes are uniquely robust, capable of withstanding the extreme temperatures and harsh chemical conditions found in industrial environments, and have been demonstrated and scaled up by more than 10 million times from their laboratory origins to commercial scale.

Via Separations targets sectors where chemical separations are the dominant energy cost, including pulp & paper, specialty chemicals, and petroleum refining. Their flagship commercial deployment - "Project Kodiak" - is a first-of-a-kind black liquor concentration system installed at International Paper's Grande Prairie mill in Alberta, Canada, which has been operating at commercial scale since mid-2024. This system exemplifies Via's modular approach: compact units that integrate directly into existing plant infrastructure without requiring costly facility overhauls, enabling manufacturers to boost throughput with existing assets while dramatically cutting energy costs and carbon emissions. The company is now expanding into the broader chemicals market with support from Third Derivative's Industrial Innovation Cohort accelerator.

Via Separations is a critical player in the US energy supply chain because industrial separations account for roughly 12-15% of total US energy consumption, making them one of the largest single categories of industrial energy waste. By electrifying and intensifying this process step, Via enables manufacturers to slash energy imports, reduce reliance on fossil-fuel-based process heat, and lower the carbon intensity of products like paper, chemicals, and refined fuels. The company has attracted significant federal support - including a $46.6M DOE award from the Industrial Demonstrations Program - alongside venture capital from leading deep-tech and climate investors, positioning it as a flagship example of American materials innovation driving industrial decarbonization at scale.