Hardware Podcasts

Using Methane-Eating Bacteria to Combat Climate Change: A Discussion with Josh Silverman, CEO at Windfall Bio

Hardware to Save a Planet · 7 Dec 2023 · 47m · Episode 41

What this episode covers

Dr. Josh Silverman, CEO and founder of Windfall Bio, explains how his company uses methane-eating bacteria (methanotrophs) to remove methane from agriculture and industrial sources while producing nitrogen-rich fertilizer. He details the hardware solutions, including aerated static piles for compost and trickle-bed reactors, designed to handle varying methane concentrations from dilute barn air to concentrated digester gas. Silverman discusses the business model, which prioritizes economic value for farmers through fertilizer savings over carbon credits, and addresses the challenge of scaling production via contract manufacturing to meet potential rapid adoption.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Windfall Bio, Callista, Soluria
Also
Stanford, IPCC, Bill Gates

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Catalyst · 42m

    Microbes, meat and materials: biotech meets climatetech

    Arye Lipman, a biologist and general partner at Mars Bio, discusses the intersection of biotech and climatetech, highlighting the potential of synthetic biology to create alternative proteins, remove carbon, and clean up fertilizer. He distinguishes between fermentation-derived foods like Impossible Foods and Perfect Day, and the high-cost challenges of lab-grown meat, expressing skepticism about its near-term viability. Lipman also covers engineered plants for carbon sequestration, microbial fertilizers like Pivot Bio, and biomaterials such as fungal biomass, noting that scaling biomanufacturing and managing sterility remain significant hurdles.

    Materials & manufacturing processesEnergy & climate tech
    7 chapters

  • Catalyst · 35m

    This episode is trash

    Matt Rogers, co-founder of Nest and CEO of Mill, explains how his new company tackles food waste by dehydrating scraps in a kitchen bin and returning them to farms via mail. Rogers argues that anaerobic decomposition in landfills generates potent methane, making diversion critical for climate goals. Mill’s system shrinks waste volume, eliminates odors, and allows consumers to save on municipal trash fees while keeping food in the circular economy. The company is launching nationwide in the US, targeting both direct-to-consumer adoption and municipal partnerships to achieve zero-waste goals.

    Energy & climate techDirect-to-consumer & e-commerce
    9 chapters

  • Catalyst · 45m

    Why methane matters

    Erika Reinhardt, co-founder of Spark Climate Solutions, explains why near-term warming driven by short-lived climate pollutants like methane is a critical blind spot in current climate strategy. She details the atmospheric chemistry of methane, its sources (livestock, oil and gas, waste), and the limitations of current metrics like GWP100 versus GWP20. The conversation covers specific mitigation technologies, including feed additives like asparagopsis seaweed for enteric emissions, biogas digesters for manure, and the early-stage research into atmospheric methane removal to address natural feedback loops.

    Energy & climate techSourcing & supply chain
    7 chapters

  • How I Built This · 27m

    Building a decarbonization army with Shashank Samala of Heirloom

    Shashank Samala, co-founder and CEO of Heirloom, explains how his company built North America’s first operational direct air capture facility in Tracy, California, using a novel limestone-based process to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Samala details the technical approach of baking limestone into calcium oxide to create 'trays' that absorb CO2, contrasting this with expensive synthetic materials used by competitors like Climeworks. He discusses the business model, noting that Heirloom sells carbon removal credits to major corporations like Microsoft, Stripe, and Meta, aiming to scale production to 1 million tons per year by leveraging the Inflation Reduction Act’s 45Q tax credits. The episode covers Heirloom’s journey from a garage-stage startup to scaling production, highlighting their goal to build 1,000 facilities globally to remove 1 billion tons of CO2 annually by the 2030s.

    Energy & climate techStarting a product company
    8 chapters

  • How I Built This · 24m

    Meet The HIBT Fellows: Dinesh Tadepalli & Jennifer Zeitler

    Dinesh Tadepalli, co-founder of Incredible Eats, explains how he leveraged his semiconductor engineering background to automate the manufacturing of edible cutlery, using compression molding and trade-secret molds to solve the plastic pollution problem. Jennifer Zeitler, founder of Let's Goat Buffalo, describes her land management service that uses rescued goats and converted school buses to clear invasive plants without heavy machinery or chemicals. Both founders discuss their bootstrap financing strategies, including Tadepalli selling his home to fund machinery and Zeitler pricing her services competitively against traditional landscaping. They detail their pivot to retail and B2C channels during the pandemic, securing orders from major retailers and concert venues while navigating supply chain and operational challenges.

    Materials & manufacturing processesDesign for manufacturing & NPI
    10 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Hardware to Save a Planet. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.