What's Your Problem? Turning Pollution into Jet Fuel
Sep 19, 2024
Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech, specializes in converting pollution into valuable fuels. She discusses the innovative process of transforming carbon emissions into ethanol using bacteria. The conversation dives into the economic viability and scaling challenges of sustainable fuel production. Holmgren also addresses the role of sustainable aviation fuels in reducing emissions, and the importance of supportive policies for new energy solutions. Her optimism for sustainable energy shines through, highlighting local economies and innovative practices.
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Ancient Gas-Eating Microbe Powers Chemistry
- LanzaTech uses a naturally gas-eating anaerobic bacterium, C. auto, as the core catalyst for turning carbon monoxide into useful chemicals.
- The founders optimized the microbe by directed evolution to shift its product from acetate to ethanol.
Microbe Found In Rabbit Droppings
- C. autothanogenum is ancient and robust and can be found in places like rabbit droppings and hydrothermal vents.
- Jennifer notes its robustness makes it suitable for industrial bioprocessing despite being an anaerobe.
Validate Economics Stepwise
- Validate economics stepwise: go from lab to pilot to demo and iterate with techno-economic analysis at each stage.
- Optimize capital, media, energy use, and reactor design based on those analyses to improve competitiveness.