Podcast Episode Summary:
This episode explores an innovative approach to carbon removal that goes beyond simply separating greenhouse gases from the air, by also creating other valuable products. It features Eric Matzner, co-founder of a new venture called Metalplant, which is making its public debut.
Metalplant combines hyperaccumulator plants and enhanced rock weathering to extract nickel from soil and crushed rock while simultaneously removing atmospheric carbon. The discussion delves into the economics of co-producing nickel alongside carbon offsets, addressing the broader challenges of scaling carbon removal, and Matzner’s views on vertical integration for quality and cost control. The episode highlights Metalplant’s initial operations in Albania, leveraging local olivine resources on non-arable land and generating employment.
A significant portion of the conversation focuses on a potential “intellectual crisis” within the carbon removal industry: how should it handle methodologies that co-produce significant value in addition to carbon removal? Key questions include whether these ventures should still sell carbon credits, if this creates unfair competition for companies solely focused on carbon removal, and whether financial additionality is the correct framework for intervention, if intervention is needed at all. The episode probes whether conventional additionality principles might unduly hold back co-producers whose scaling is desperately needed.
