Cracking the Carbon Capture Challenge with Mantel

Dec 21, 2023

Cameron Halliday, CEO and Co-founder of Mantel, discusses their point source carbon capture solution that can capture emissions from industrial equipment operating at high temperatures. They explore the controversy around point source capture and the goal of achieving net zero emissions. They also discuss the use of molten borate as a solution and the challenges of working with molten salts. Cameron shares his journey from academia to entrepreneurship and the urgency of taking action on carbon capture.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

The Debate Around Point Source Capture

01:34 • 18min

Exploring High Temperature Carbon Capture with Liquid Phase Materials

19:50 • 3min

Molten salts in energy storage and carbon capture

22:41 • 14min

Challenges of Identifying Substance Phase at High Temperatures and the Role of Specialized Equipment

36:19 • 2min

From Academia to Entrepreneurship: Raising a Seed Round

38:11 • 8min

The Urgency of Taking Action and the MCJ Collective Podcast Network

45:47 • 2min

Cameron Halliday is the CEO and Co-founder of Mantel.

Mantel is developing a point source carbon capture solution, which means they're developing technology that can sit next to industrial equipment and capture its emissions. Mantel's key innovation lies in their utilization of a high-temperature liquid-phase material for carbon capture, enabling operation at temperatures as high as 600 degrees Celsius. Allegedly, this material can cycle between capture and release without experiencing deterioration or decay.

Point source carbon capture is somewhat controversial, as detractors argue that it extends the life of high-emissions processes. Promoters argue that we need all solutions on the table to reduce emissions in hard-to-abate sectors. Cameron and Cody discuss this at the start of the episode, before diving into his technology and go-to-market solution. He articulates a unique approach to go-to-market, wherein he's determined a way to minimize the integration dependency that his industrial customers would have to take on in order to get a pilot up and running with Mantel. Cameron maintains a close affiliation with MIT, having earned both his PhD and MBA there. In 2022, Mantel secured a seed round of funding, led by The Engine—a venture fund founded by MIT with a focus on tough tech.

In this episode, we cover:

[02:06]: An explanation of point source capture
[04:12]: Controversy around its use
[09:20]: An overview of Mantel, their mission, and their tech
[12:37]: Cost impact for companies, early adopters, and motivations
[16:47]: Introduction to amine technology
[18:18]: General overview of carbon capture concepts
[21:16]: Mantle's molten salts technology
[25:42]: Their "crawl, walk, run" approach to commercializing
[31:17]: Potential to apply Mantel's tech to biogenic sources of carbon
[33:05]: Physical configuration of Mantle's systems which connect to smokestacks
[34:20]: Cameron's background and his dual PhD/MBA from MIT
[39:46]: Mantle's founding team and investors like The Engine
[41:39]: Process of identifying and mitigating risks for Mantle's technology
[43:30]: Customizing Mantle's system for different industrial use cases
[46:05]: Parting words on the urgency of deploying point source capture

Episode recorded on Nov 13, 2023 (Published on Dec 21, 2023)

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant