From a Burping Cow to Carbon-Negative Solution: Turning Methane Into Biopolymer (ft. Mark Herrema, CEO of Aircarbon)

As a sustainability consultant, Liz Unikowski has spent 15 years untangling fashion's supply chains (from leather traceability to bio-based materials) and she says one popular shoe component quietly wrecks even the most durable footwear. - How polyurethane insoles can cut a 30-year leather shoe's life down to two- The "cradle to cradle" framework, and why a biological circular lifecycle is nearly impossible to scale affordable- Why a $10 shirt can never actually cover its true cost- The EU's Digital Product Passport and eco-design regulation- Why natural dyes aren't used in fast-fashion volume- Brazil's smallholder cotton cooperatives and their peer-audited "participative certification" systemRecommendations:- ⁠Interview with Laura McDermott⁠- ⁠Water Bear⁠ (streaming platform for sustainability documentaries)- ⁠⁠River Blue⁠⁠- ⁠⁠The True Cost⁠⁠- Estou me guardando para quando o Carnaval chegar- The Story of Stuff by Annie LeonardFollow the podcast on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTok⁠ @materialsdeepdive, and check out our ⁠Youtube channel⁠.Liz Unikowski is a sustainability and innovation consultant with over 15 years of experience across the fashion and footwear industry. Her work has spanned leather traceability, textile waste, and bio-based materials, in projects with both international companies and NGOs. She began her career as a footwear designer before moving into circularity and social innovation, and later worked with Textile Exchange on a supply chain traceability pilot, giving her a rare end-to-end view of how fashion's materials move from raw fiber to landfill.You can reach Liz through her ⁠LinkedIn⁠.

Niron Magnetics applications engineer Jake Brown explains how iron nitride, a magnet material made from steel processing waste and ammonia, is challenging rare-earth dominance in motors, without any dependence on Chinese supply chains. From efficiency gains to a wild dream project involving a vintage truck, Jake walks us through what it takes to build a rare-earth alternative from scratch, and his path until now.♻️ Join us to hear about:Why permanent magnets beat induction motors on efficiencyThe geopolitical incident that kicked off the U.S. rare-earth alternatives raceWhere iron nitride still can't compete with rare earths (and why that's changing)A clever motor design trick that lets iron nitride punch above its weightNiron's plan to scale from pilot plant to full productionAn electric motor swap for a classic square-body truck🎙️ Follow the podcast on Instagram and TikTok @materialsdeepdive, and check out our Youtube channel.Jake Brown is a senior applications engineer at Niron Magnetics, where he works to integrate the company's rare-earth-free iron nitride magnets into customer motor designs. His background is in mechanical engineering, with about five years of motor design experience and a focus on electromagnetic analysis, drawn primarily from work on larger, megawatt-scale motors and generators before joining Niron.Follow Niron Magnetics through their website and Linkedin page. You can reach Jake through his LinkedIn.

What if the same greenhouse gas warming the planet could be turned into the material inside your next pair of shoes? Methane is over 28 more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas, and AirCarbon has built a way to capture it and turn it into a biodegradable, plastic-like material using microorganisms.In this deep dive, I sit down with Mark Herrema, CEO of Aircarbon, to talk about how a story about a cow sparked the idea for the company, what it actually takes to turn methane emissions into a usable material at scale, and why finding the right co-founder can make or break a deep tech startup. We also get a first look at AirCarbon's upcoming partnership with Nike.If you care about carbon capture, biomaterials, sustainable materials science, or the future of the circular economy, this is one you don't want to miss.In this episode we cover:How a cow inspired the founding of AirCarbonTurning methane into plastic using microorganismsWhy methane is a far more potent greenhouse gas than CO2The surprising fact that humans naturally produce this same materialWhy the right co-founder matters as much as the right technologyA sneak peek at AirCarbon's upcoming Nike partnershipRecommendation:"Terminator" (yes, really — listen to find out why)Follow AirCarbon on ⁠LinkedIn⁠ and check out their site at ⁠aircarbon.com⁠. You can also follow Mark on his ⁠LinkedIn⁠.If you enjoyed this episode, follow Materials Deep Dive on Instagram and TikTok @materialsdeepdive for behind-the-scenes and more conversations with founders and engineers reshaping the materials world. And don't forget to check out our Youtube channel.

What happens when you make clothes from fabric you cook in your kitchen? And what if you publish the process online?Brenda, also known as ⁠@onemiddlechild⁠, is a Seattle-based textile designer and material researcher. She has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and degree in fashion, and she mixes the two worlds by developing biopolymers from organic waste that mimic the synthetic vinyl, animal leather, and plastic used in clothes. She documents every experiment on her online project, Research in Public.In this episode we cover:What is sustainability in the fashion industryThe use of PU on clothesAvoiding mold in fabricCan the future of fashion be 100% biodegradable?Regulations for biomaterials in clothesHow to get into biomaterialsTune in if you want to know how biomaterials are changing the fashion runways. If you enjoyed this episode, follow Materials Deep Dive on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTok⁠ @materialsdeepdive for behind-the-scenes and more conversations with CEOs and engineers reshaping the materials world.And don't forget to check out Brenda's site to continue the dive and get the template we mentioned.

Sustainability is a priority for some companies, a nuisance for others and a concern for most. And with all of the environmental regulations coming out, being sustainable can feel like an obligation to fill the ESG reports. But what if being more “sustainable” could make your company more sustainable?In this deep dive, I speak with Laura McDermott from Colectivo, a sustainability consultancy that coaches companies on how they can become future-proof, through engaging their employees and redesigning their products and services. Besides working with companies, Laura teaches Design Thinking and Sustainability at the IE Business School in Madrid. So be ready to take some notes.Listen till the end to find what type of sustainability persona you are and let us know in the comments.In this episode we cover:What sustainability means for a companyThe steps to make your company future-proofIntention-action gapTypes of sustainability personasThe “COM-B” modelAutomatic motivation vs. Reflective motivationNew Year’s resolutions, Atomic Habits and biking to workTransparency as a business modelHow can engineers impact their companiesRecomendations:"Let my people go surfing" by Yvon Chouinard"Behavior Change for Sustainability" course on UdemyFollow Colectivo on LinkedIn and check out their site colectivo.ie. You can also follow Laura on her LinkedIn.If you enjoyed this episode, follow Materials Deep Dive on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTok⁠ @materialsdeepdive for behind-the-scenes and more conversations with founders and engineers reshaping the materials world.

What if the solution to plastic pollution was growing in the ocean all along? Eylül Er, CEO and founder of Palgae, is engineering algae-based bioplastics that can slot directly into existing manufacturing lines. No factory overhaul required.Eylül is a Turkish bioengineer who started Palgae after her thesis in bioengineering, and has since navigated the startup ecosystems of both Istanbul and London while building in one of deeptech's most challenging spaces. In this episode, we go beyond the buzzwords: What does "biodegradable" actually mean? Which algae species produce useful polymers? Ahat does it really take to build a biotech company from scratch?In this episode, we cover:What bioplastics and biodegradable materials actually mean (and how companies misuse these terms)How different algae species are used to produce plastic alternativesHow Palgae's materials integrate into existing factory infrastructureThe startup ecosystem in Istanbul vs LondonWhat it's like to be a woman founder in biotech and bioengineeringThe personality traits that determine whether you should start a businessCheck here the interview with Luenne Coelho on plastic waste.Topics: bioplastics | algae-based materials | biodegradable plastics | sustainable materials | biotech startup | women in engineering | circular economy | polymer alternativesFollow Palgae on Instagram and LinkedIn.If you enjoyed this episode, follow Materials Deep Dive on Instagram and TikTok @materialsdeepdive for behind-the-scenes and more conversations with founders and engineers reshaping the materials world. Follow us on Youtube.

Materials Deep Dive is evolving. The truth is that I'm graduating, and taking the podcast to the next level with me. Materials Deep Dive is shifting from two-host educational episodes to in-depth video interviews with CEOs and innovators in sustainable materials, green manufacturing, and materials engineering. If you've been following along, here's what's changing and why. Follow the podcast on Instagram and TikTok @materialsdeepdive to see the behind the scenes.

Plastic waste is one of society's biggest problems, so Luenne Coelho decided to make furniture out of it. As founder of Reefaire, she's turning discarded plastic cups into high-performance composite panels for architecture and design. Together we talk about the importance of loving a problem, the need to do the work if we want to see change and why selling an imperfect product is actually better.Join us to hear about:One smart idea to help with the plastic waste problemGoing from frustration to innovationFalling in love with a problem in order to solve itThe waste in civil constructionHow Reefaire turns plastic cups into amazing decorationand Portuguese speakers forgetting words in English (it’s a bottle cap btw)Follow the podcast on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTok⁠ @materialsdeepdiveCheck out the books we mentioned:The Lean Startup by Eric Ries⁠Escape from Nexus Labs⁠ by Carolina Sofia CarreiraLuenne Coelho is a Brazilian architect and urban planner from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), currently pursuing a postgraduate degree in Finance and Controllership at the University of São Paulo (USP). She is the founder of Reefaire, a deeptech startup focused on developing high-performance sheets and composites from plastic waste, with applications in architecture, design, and civil construction. She works at the intersection of materials science, circular design, industrial innovation, and business strategy, focusing on scalable solutions to climate change.If you want to know more about Reefaire follow their work through their ⁠website⁠ and ⁠LinkedIn page⁠. You can send a message to Luenne through her LinkedIn.

How do electromagnetic waves behave when they travel through different materials? In this episode we explore the refractive index, critical angle, and Brewster angle, derive the Fresnel equations, and explain the Poynting vector for wave energy. We also cover wave attenuation in conductors, skin depth, and how frequency affects material behaviour. Perfect for students in electromagnetism, optics, or photonics. Topics: electromagnetic waves | refractive index | Brewster angle | Fresnel equations | Poynting vector | skin depth | wave attenuation.Don’t forget to follow and share the podcast with anyone that you think might profit from it, so more people can deep dive into materials engineering.Follow the podcast on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTok⁠ @materialsdeepdive to see the behind the scenes.

What happens inside a capacitor at the material level? This episode dives into the physics of dielectric materials, how polarisation affects capacitance, and the role of Ohm's Law in understanding electrical conduction. Ideal for engineering students studying electromagnetism or materials science. Topics: capacitors | dielectric materials | polarisation | Ohm's Law | electrical conductivity | electromagnetism.Don’t forget to follow and share the podcast with someone you think might profit from it, so they can also take a deep dive into materials science.Also, if you liked the episode leave us a review or a comment.Follow the podcast on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠TikTok⁠ @materialsdeepdive to see the behind the scenes.