About episode
Fossil carbon is not just burned for energy. It’s also used as an ingredient for millions of everyday products. But what if, rather than extracting new fossil carbon from the ground, the carbon could be sourced from waste and kept in circulation.
That’s exactly what a company called LanzaTech is doing. For almost two decades LanzaTech has been using a synthetic biology process to recycle carbon waste and create new products. They went public earlier this year and provide a fascinating example of a climate tech company with a bold vision for transforming how our material world is built. Perhaps that’s why they were recently recognized by the prestigious Earthshot Prize.
In this episode, I’m joined by LanzaTech’s Chief Sustainability Officer Freya Burton and Chief Science Officer Zara Summers. We talk about the growth and evolution of LanzaTech, their effort to create a circular economy of carbon, their technology, partners, and much more. This episode will push your thinking in some interesting ways. Enjoy.
In today’s episode, we cover:
- [3:36] Freya’s background & what she was doing before LanzaTech
- [4:52] Zara’s background & what she was doing before LanzaTech
- [6:23] LanzaTech & the problem that it’s aiming to solve
- [8:13] Finding stuff to do with emissions vs. eliminating them
- [11:13] The overall scale of environmental impact that LanzaTech is targeting
- [13:20] How LanzaTech’s technology works
- [16:47] Partnerships for removing carbon emissions
- [19:29] How has the technology evolved over the years
- [21:16] How AI is involved in the approach
- [23:11] Who are current customers & what kind of partners is LanzaTech seeking
- [26:25] The pulse of the marketplace
- [28:44] Who is it for & why is it critical
- [30:21] How LanzaJet is going
- [32:41] Benefits & expectations of climate policies
- [35:24] How EarthShot was helpful to LanzaTech
- [36:31] What has changed since LanzaTech went public
- [37:40] The industry in 5-10 years
- [41:43] Call to action for listeners
LanzaTech & the problem that it’s aiming to solve
LanzaTech emerged with a core objective rooted in the necessity for an alternative to oil in the production of everyday commodities. The genesis of the company’s foundation can be traced back to the quest for substitutes to conventional fuels. During its inception, Shaun Simpson and Richard Forrester, the co-founders, were engaged in biomass-related work at a previous organization, where their efforts to employ biomass for fuel generation encountered technological setbacks. United by the realization of the need for an abundant, economically viable, waste-derived feedstock, they envisioned a solution that demanded minimal infrastructure for cultivation and transportation. The innovative concept of utilizing waste carbon, sourced from pollution, emerged as a pivotal idea. The catalyst for LanzaTech’s establishment lay in identifying a sustainable feedstock that could tackle the substantial challenge of reducing fossil fuel extraction and curbing atmospheric pollution. This paradigm shift from the linear carbon usage approach – extraction, consumption, emission – became the driving force behind LanzaTech’s inception and endeavors.
The overall scale of environmental impact that LanzaTech is targeting
The magnitude of LanzaTech’s environmental influence is of an extraordinary scale. The transformative potential lies in its capability to avert emissions and replace fossil carbon resources, resulting in a profound and far-reaching impact. The prospect of utilizing carbon dioxide (CO2) as a raw material represents an ambitious aspiration, considering the abundant presence of CO2 within the atmosphere. The potential outcomes are virtually boundless, defying quantification. In the present context, LanzaTech has already paved a path toward gigaton-level carbon abatement. The company envisions achieving an annual reduction of approximately 500,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions by the year’s end through the operation of six industrial emission-capturing plants. This emission-to-ethanol process not only holds implications for mitigating CO2 output but also demonstrates practical applicability. The transformed ethanol serves as a versatile precursor for diverse applications, including the production of essential components for items like polyester fibers, packaging, household cleaners, and even luxury products such as perfumes. A rudimentary estimate recently proposed an equivalency between the emissions abated by LanzaTech’s existing plants and the energy consumption of charging 30 billion cellphones, offering a mere glimpse of the potential energy offset. Envisioning the future, LanzaTech’s carbon utilization endeavor holds boundless promise, as it harnesses the existing carbon surplus to eliminate the need for further fossil fuel extraction.
How LanzaTech’s technology works
Zara elucidates the underlying mechanism of the company’s technology by delving into Earth’s ancient history. She contextualizes the concept by referencing the emergence of microbial life some 3.7 billion years ago when the atmosphere lacked oxygen. During this extended epoch, reduced gases like hydrogen, carbon monoxide, CO2, and methane were prevalent. Microbes during this era relied on these gases as fundamental carbon and energy sources, nurturing the processes that led to life’s creation. In the present day, LanzaTech capitalizes on this enduring metabolic wisdom by utilizing a distinct bacterium that thrives on reduced gases.
This metabolic process, which dates back billions of years, is ingeniously repurposed to convert gases like CO2, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen into valuable products, such as ethanol. These products find application in diverse industries, from high-end perfumes to sportswear and beyond. Zara underscores the potency of harnessing the proficiency that Earth’s microbial life has honed over epochs, highlighting the potential of this approach in addressing contemporary waste emissions.
She explains that the chosen bacterium, a Clostridium species, is cultivated within sophisticated bioreactors. These reactors facilitate the conversion of gas into both thriving cells and ethanol. Zara then points to the recent transformative strides in the field of genetic manipulation, facilitated by synthetic biology tools. These advancements allow for the engineering of the bacterium to yield an array of more than 100 different molecules, effectively unlocking unprecedented versatility in product creation.
This capability, Zara suggests, is poised to redefine traditional industrial models. No longer confined to massive, single-purpose refining complexes, LanzaTech’s technology envisions a future where bioreactors serve as dynamic platforms for varied product synthesis. This shift aligns with the evolving tools of science, ushering in an exciting era of innovation.
Resources Mentioned
Connect with Freya Burton & Zara Summers
Connect with Jason Rissman
Keep up with Invested In Climate
- Sign up for our Newsletter
Have feedback or ideas for future episodes, events, or partnerships?
