Technical University of Munich Start-Up SYPOX Secures First Industrial Project for Electrified Chemistry

Dr. Gianluca Pauletto (left) and Dr. Martin Baumgärtl are CEO and CTO of the start-up SYPOX. They founded their company at TUM and want to make the chemical industry more sustainable. Here they are standing in front of the container housing their pilot plant in the municipality of Dollnstein in the Altmühltal valley.

(IN BRIEF) Technical University of Munich has enabled the development of SYPOX, a spin-off start-up that has created electrically heated reactor technology to decarbonise energy-intensive chemical processes. Founded by TUM researchers and supported by the university’s innovation ecosystem, SYPOX replaces fossil fuel-based heat generation with electricity, enabling up to 40 percent lower emissions without changing core production chemistry. With its first major industrial customer secured alongside Clariant and plans for large-scale deployment from 2026, the company demonstrates how academic research can translate into commercially viable solutions for sustainable industry.

(PRESS RELEASE) MUNICH, 23-Jan-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Technical University of Munich has played a central role in the creation and development of SYPOX, a technology start-up aiming to make the chemical industry significantly more sustainable by replacing fossil fuel-based heat generation with electrically powered processes. Originating from research conducted at TUM, the company has developed patented reactor technology that enables the production of synthesis gas using electricity instead of oil or natural gas, reducing CO₂ emissions while preserving established chemical production methods.

SYPOX was founded in 2021 by Dr. Gianluca Pauletto and Dr. Martin Baumgärtl, who met through their academic work at TUM alongside Professor Johannes Lercher from the Chair of Technical Chemistry II. The technology builds on several years of research and testing in TUM laboratories and was supported by the TUM Venture Lab ChemSpace and the EXIST start-up grant from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. From the outset, the founders pursued a commercially driven approach, focusing on customer needs and revenue-based growth rather than venture capital financing.

At the core of SYPOX’s solution is an electrically heated reactor that delivers the high temperatures required for chemical processes directly within the system. Traditionally, such heat is generated by burning fossil fuels, which account for a large share of emissions in chemical production. By replacing burners with electric heating elements positioned behind catalysts, the technology enables precise temperature control, improved operational safety, and emissions reductions of up to 40 percent, without altering the underlying chemistry used to produce essential materials such as methanol and ammonia.

The company operates a pilot plant housed in a container-based facility in the municipality of Dollnstein in Bavaria, while maintaining laboratory operations near TUM’s Garching research campus. SYPOX now employs around a dozen people and remains closely integrated into TUM’s innovation ecosystem, benefiting from continued collaboration with academic and industrial partners.

A major milestone has been achieved through SYPOX’s first large-scale customer project, supported by specialty chemicals company Clariant, a long-standing research partner of TUM. From 2026, the end customer plans to produce approximately 150 tonnes of synthesis gas per day using renewable electricity and SYPOX’s technology, achieving substantially lower emissions. The project marks one of the first industrial implementations of fully electrified synthesis gas production and highlights the growing momentum for decarbonisation solutions emerging from university-led innovation.

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According to the Financial Times, the innovation ecosystem centered around TUM and UnternehmerTUM is the most successful start-up hub in Europe. Its particular strengths lie in its strong, diverse network and its highly specific support. In initiatives and co-labs, start-ups work on innovations with established companies, experts, investors, and administrators. The founding teams receive support tailored precisely to the individual phases of the start-up and the teams.

TUM and UnternehmerTUM jointly operate the TUM Venture Labs. Across twelve technology fields, these provide direct access to cutting-edge research, technical infrastructure, and market expertise. Most recently, more than 100 companies were founded at TUM in one year, and more than 1,100 start-up teams received support from UnternehmerTUM and Venture Labs.

Technical University of Munich

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Ulrich Meyer
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SOURCE: Technical University of Munich