E64: How Twelve is turning captured carbon into jet fuel
Oct 10, 2024
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Etosha Cave, co-founder of Twelve, discusses the groundbreaking technology that converts captured carbon into sustainable jet fuel. Growing up near an oil and gas site fueled her passion for clean energy. She explains how their innovative process mimics nature to break down CO2 and water using renewable electricity. Cave elaborates on partnerships with major airlines and the promising future of carbon-neutral aviation. The episode highlights significant advancements and challenges in sustainable fuel production as the world shifts towards cleaner energy solutions.
Twelve's innovative technology transforms captured CO2 into sustainable jet fuel using renewable electricity, significantly reducing emissions compared to conventional fuels.
The company's origin story reflects a long-term commitment to transitioning academic research into real-world solutions for clean energy and waste management.
Deep dives
Innovative Carbon Capture Technology
A method known as Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) is being developed to transform carbon dioxide into sustainable materials. This involves breaking down captured CO2 molecules and combining them with water and renewable electricity to create new products, such as sustainable aviation fuel. A notable example is a company that has raised $645 million to build facilities that will convert captured carbon into sustainable jet fuel, potentially reducing emissions by 90% compared to conventional jet fuel. This innovative approach mimics natural processes, similar to how trees convert CO2 and water into sugars and oxygen, but scales it for industrial use.
Journey from Idea to Implementation
The creation of this technology traces back to a collaboration among Stanford graduate students focused on CO2 electrical reduction, who aimed to address the complexities of clean energy and waste management. They discussed potential business plans related to their scientific research, ultimately leading to the formation of the company and its pilot projects. Over 15 years, they have scaled their technology from small prototypes to a functioning pilot plant capable of producing sustainable jet fuel. This evolution illustrates the long-term commitment and iterative process required to transition from academic research to real-world applications.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel and Its Market Dynamics
The sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) market is currently dominated by bio-based options, which raises concerns about the use of land and water for fuel versus food production. The technology being developed utilizes a power-to-liquids approach, which requires significantly less water and land compared to traditional biofuels. This process is also made economically viable due to federal incentives, allowing the company to offer jet fuel competitively priced against bio-based alternatives. As the demand for cleaner aviation options grows, the SAF market has the potential to expand substantially, addressing both environmental and economic concerns.
Etosha Cave, co-founder of 12, a carbon transformation company, discusses the origin story of the company and its focus on creating jet fuel from CO2 and water. The company's technology mimics the process of trees, taking in CO2 and water and using electricity to break them down into smaller atomic bits and reforming them into new molecules. The main motivation behind the company's work is the desire to create clean and abundant energy, driven by Cave's personal experience growing up near an abandoned oil and gas waste site. 12 is currently in the process of commercializing its technology and has announced partnerships with Alaska Airlines and IAG, the parent company of British Airways.