

Emmanuel (Manu) Masini – Mantle8
Hydrogen has for decades been talked about as the fuel of the future, the economics, among other things stand it’s way, producing cheap hydrogen isn’t easy, but what if nature has already done the hard work for us? In this episode of Leaders in Cleantech, I speak with Emmanuel Masini, founder and CEO of Mantle8, a pioneering natural hydrogen exploration company. We dive into Emmanuel’s journey from geologist to entrepreneur, why natural hydrogen could be a game-changing addition to the energy mix, and how Mantle8’s technology is accelerating the race to unlock this overlooked resource.
Episode Notes
In this conversation, Emmanuel and I explore the promise of natural hydrogen — also called geological or white hydrogen. Unlike green or blue hydrogen, natural hydrogen is formed by the Earth itself, waiting to be discovered and harnessed.
About Emmanuel (Manu) Masini
Emmanuel Masini is a geoscientist, entrepreneur and founder of Mantle8 – a pioneering energy company advancing the exploration and extraction of natural hydrogen as a low-cost, ultra-low-emissions energy source.
With more than a decade of experience in structural geology, subsurface modelling and energy systems, Emmanuel has led geoscience projects across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Before founding Mantle8, he co-founded the geology-focused research and consulting company M&U and worked with Total on applied geoscience projects. Of note, is Masini’s leadership of the "Orogen Research" program, whilst at M&U and at Total. This program is a collaborative effort between Total, the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), and the French Geological Survey (BRGM) involving approximately one hundred researchers, which focuses on the study of orogens, which are mountain ranges formed by the collision of tectonic plates. He also contributed to major research initiatives with the Strasbourg, Grenoble, Toulouse and Austin Universities.
He holds a PhD in structural geology from the University of Strasbourg.
About Mantle8
Mantle8 is a natural hydrogen exploration company based in France. Founded by Emmanuel Masini in 2024, Mantle8 brings together a team of geoscientists with 20 years of experience in the field that has previously worked together as M&U, a geology research and consulting company. Mantle8 has developed geoscience-based technologies that detect the best natural
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