Turning CO2 into Valuable Chemicals with CERT Systems
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We sit down with Dr. Christine Gabardo, co-founder and CTO of CERT Systems. CERT Systems is producing essential chemicals without fossil fuels, converting CO2 into sustainable chemicals like ethylene using just electricity and water.
You may not have heard of ethylene, but it’s a building block of every day life. It’s used to make just about everything, from shampoo, plastic, textiles and building materials. But it’s typically made from fossil fuels, spewing 1-2 tonnes of carbon pollution for every tonne that’s produced.
CERT’s technology can make ethylene from carbon capture systems installed at industrial plants, turning pollution into a useful, high-value product that’s locking away up to 5 tonnes carbon for every tonne they make. It’s keeping carbon pollution out of the atmosphere and making useful products at the same time.
Their team was the first in the world to demonstrate the conversion of industrial emissions into ethylene as a finalist in the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE, and brings decades of experience in electrochemistry, materials science, and engineering.
In our conversation, we talk about how CERT Systems is helping chemical producers turn their emissions into a useful resource, the lessons they learned from the Carbon XPRIZE, why people underestimate the market for sustainable ethylene, and a lot more.
TALKING POINTS
How CERT uses electrolysis to turn water and CO2 into ethylene
Helping chemical producers turn their emissions into a feedstock
A pathway to sustainable aviation fuel
Solving for energy efficiency in chemical reactions
Building effective pilot partnerships
Breaking down and managing risk
Why people underestimate the market for sustainable ethylene