E67: Decarbonizing hydrogen and carbon black by splitting methane with Monolith Materials CEO, Rob Hanson

The Keep Cool Podcast

Description: Nick is joined by Rob Hanson, the CEO of Monolith, a company building methane pyrolysis plants to turn methane into hydrogen and carbon black, both of which are critical products for global industries and which are predominantly produced with significant emissions footprints today. Monolith’s process aims to decarbonize hydrogen and carbon black production while commercializing to scales of clean production not seen almost anywhere else in the world. Nick and Rob also discuss the duality of methane’s inherent economic value and its staggering cost to the environment, especially as a major global warming driver, as well as:

• Technical ins and outs: Among other things, one of the pieces of technologies Monolith has built is one of the world’s largest plasma torches. Not sure what that means? Listen for more.
• What it’s like working with the DOE’s Loan Programs Office: While the Loan Programs Office's risk appetite doesn’t suit itself to every type of project, Rob breaks down under what circumstances working with the LPO can be a powerful partnership to scale critical clean technologies.
• Sustained will for the energy transition: Why ‘sustainability’ is about a lot more than just greenhouse gas emissions and other ‘green’ metrics.

Timestamps:

00:03:08 - Methane's role across environmental and economic impact

00:04:11 - Rob's background and journey to Monolith

00:06:10 - The Role of DOE's Loan Programs Office

00:09:03 - Deep dive into Monolith's technology and development

00:19:08 - Carbon Black production and usage

00:26:33 - Challenges and rigor required to work with the LPO

00:30:08 - Monolith's future production capacity and impact

00:33:32 - The importance of economic viability without green premiums

00:36:07 - Sustained will and what the energy transition holistically requires

00:38:33 - Perception of the energy transition in the Midwest

00:41:47 - Calls to action

Don't miss out on this podcast if you're interested in learning more about the state of climate tech, the energy transition, and the role of hydrogen in decarbonizing industry. Subscribe on Spotify, Apple, Google, or your favorite podcast platform.

Learn more about Monolith on their website and LinkedIn: https://monolith-corp.com/ / https://www.linkedin.com/company/monolith-corp/

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