30 March — Carbon-Negative Hydrogen from Waste Biomass
Date: 30 March 2022
Time: 12:00pm ET
Location: Wean Hall 3701 & via Zoom
Speaker: Joshuah Stolaroff
Topic: Carbon-Negative Hydrogen from Waste Biomass
Abstract: Mote, Inc. has a process to convert woody waste biomass into hydrogen for transportation and CO2 for storage. By selecting biomass that would otherwise decompose or burn, we take carbon that trees and crops removed from the air and put it underground for geologic time. By creating multiple value streams of clean hydrogen, carbon removal, and waste disposal, we can sell hydrogen at market prices and permanently remove CO2 at costs down to $40–60/ton. Our technology can operate economically wherever geologic storage sites, biomass supply, and hydrogen demand are in proximity.
Mote’s technology strategy, spun out of work at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is to integrate proven process components in a novel way, leveraging technologies that have been developed for other applications, such as coal gasification and fossil hydrogen production.
This seminar covers the motivation for Mote’s technology, stemming from analysis for California on how to achieve the state’s target of carbon neutrality by 2045, and Mote’s plans to build a commercial demonstration facility in central California to remove 150,000 tons per year of CO2.