{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Energy 101: We Ask The Dumb Questions So You Don't Have To","title":"Can This Carbon-Negative Chemical Replace Oil?","html":"<iframe width=\"100%\" height=\"180\" frameborder=\"no\" scrolling=\"no\" seamless src=\"https://share.transistor.fm/e/0c2d7cf0\"></iframe>","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2860,"description":"What if the same CO₂ that’s warming the planet could actually become the stuff we use every day? Jacob and Julie sit down with Aaron Fitzgerald from Mars Materials to break down how their tech flips captured CO₂ into carbon-negative chemicals like acrylonitrile, the backbone of everything from carbon fiber to water treatment to, yes, diapers. Aaron walks us through how this process slashes emissions, opens the door to making fresh water from thin air, and why the future of materials might look a lot cleaner than the past. We even ran a live flocculant experiment that somehow landed somewhere between science class and stand-up comedy. It’s a fun, surprisingly hopeful look at turning a problem molecule into a superpower.\nClick here to watch a video of this episode.\n00:00 - Intro\n01:13 - What is Mars Materials\n02:08 - What is Acrylonitrile\n06:40 - Memory Techniques for Complex Information\n09:44 - Testing Carbon Fiber Strength\n10:55 - Understanding the Business Model\n13:18 - What Does Carbon Negative Mean?\n19:07 - Acrylonitrile Overview\n24:34 - Fresh Water Production from Acrylonitrile\n32:05 - Acrylonitrile Compared to Flour\n36:30 - The Classic Clip\n38:05 - Addressing Big Oil Concerns\n41:20 - Why Houston for Business?\n45:15 - Why Mars Materials?\n47:00 - Outro\nhttps://twitter.com/collide_io\nhttps://www.tiktok.com/@collide.io\nhttps://www.facebook.com/collide.io\nhttps://www.instagram.com/collide.io\nhttps://www.youtube.com/@collide_io\nhttps://bsky.app/profile/digitalwildcatters.bsky.social\nhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/collide-digital-wildcatters","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/8F_7R-SE-nw_rUP_p1-vdDVWboJt_kcEhdbgrgTEL7E/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9jYjY2/Yjk4MWJiZWFlYmVl/ZGIxYjkxYTdiYTdi/ZGUwMy5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}