a16z Podcast

Carbon Solutions Now and Next: From Biomass to Mineralization

20 snips
Dec 13, 2022
Peter Reinhardt, CEO of Charm Industrial, shares his journey from tech entrepreneur to carbon removal advocate by utilizing biomass pyrolysis. Karan Khimji, COO of 44.01, describes how accelerating natural mineralization can aid in large-scale CO2 removal. Laura Lammers, CEO of Travertine, reveals her innovative electrochemical process for capturing carbon and creating valuable byproducts. Together, they discuss the challenges and economic viability of their solutions, highlighting a transformative approach to tackling climate change.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
ANECDOTE

Ineffective Offsets

  • Peter Reinhardt's search for quality carbon offsets began in 2015 when he was looking to offset Segment's emissions.
  • He found that most available offsets were ineffective, inspiring him to start Charm Industrial.
INSIGHT

Offset Issues

  • Most ineffective offsets aren't fraudulent; they suffer from flawed baselines or additionality issues.
  • Protecting one forest might just shift logging to another, negating the positive impact.
INSIGHT

Charm's Process

  • Charm Industrial converts biomass like corn stover into bio-oil, a carbon-rich liquid.
  • This bio-oil is then injected underground for permanent storage, effectively removing carbon.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app