Etosha Cave, the Co-founder and Chief Science Officer of Twelve, has suggested that the firm’s technology could not just help save the planet… but also help humans colonise Mars.
Speaking on Web Summit’s Centre Stage MEO Arena, Cave was asked about how Twelve’s approach – which uses metal catalysts and electricity to convert CO2 and water into hydrocarbons – might be used in the future.
She replied that the same technology could make both rocket fuel and industrial materials using substances already available on the Red Planet.
“On Mars, over 95% of the atmosphere is carbon dioxide, and they’ve shown that there’s water too in subsurface areas,” she said. “So we see a world in which you could have a small colony on Mars and use our technology to mine the atmosphere for CO2, use water that’s from the subsurface, and, again, make all of those materials and even rocket fuel to have people come back.
“You can make all of that while you’re on Mars – you don’t have to transport the molecules from Earth to Mars, or even the moon.”
Cave emphasised that the firm’s immediate focus was on helping solve the climate crisis on our own planet, however. “Beyond that, on Earth, we want to see a world in which all of us can take flights and continue the lifestyle that we love. A place where we can grow the economy, can create jobs, and lower our carbon footprint at the same time.
“We hope to create a world where you can go and purchase the products that you already use, and instead of purchasing something that is made from oil, as nearly 96% of the materials we use, you could get it made from air and CO2. We can’t wait until our grandkids and our great-grandkids can live in a world where they can say, ‘Wow, I remember those first few moments when we were looking to create an industry-creating sustainable aviation fuel and building a world that’s clean’.”
Cave said that Twelve’s technology could use up to 500 times less land and up to 100 times less water to make a fuel that can decarbonize flight up to 90% per gallon.
Cave’s comments come at a time when carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels are consistently on the rise, reaching record levels year-on-year.
Her comments were made as part of a discussion of climate change at Web Summit in Lisbon, where more than 70,000 people have gathered to discuss the most pressing questions around technology.
Cave also discussed the milestone of raising almost $650 million for sustainable aviation fuel. She said: “That funding is a bit unique. It’s not just all coming to the company as corporate equity. It is a climate stack, so a large portion of it will go to project financing. When we deploy and deliver our large air plans, that funding will be drawn down as we meet several milestones. So as we make design, we complete design, as we secure the land, as we start to build – we’ll use that funding to have project equity”.
The Chief Science Officer says she sees an “optimistic future where we have cleaned up our atmosphere”.
The discussion was one of hundreds at this year’s sold-out Web Summit. As well as 70,000 attendees, Web Summit 2024 is welcoming an unprecedented 3,000 startups – the largest startup turnout in Web Summit’s history. Among these startups, over 1,000 are founded by women. These startups will join more than 70,000 attendees, 1,000 investors and 2,000 media.
For any questions about this or any other Web Summit Lisbon content, please contact Sebastian Hamilton, Head of Public Affairs, at summaries@websummit.com
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