Frontieras’ Clean Technology Provides a Bridge for the Global Energy Transition

Written by Matthew McKean, CEO and co-founder of Frontieras North America (LinkedIn)

Frontieras North America’s Solid Carbon Fractionation™ technology solution sits between the fossil fuels and renewable energy debate. Specifically, Frontieras’ clean technology processes fossil fuels in a way that provides a smart and sensible pathway for the world to transition towards cleaner energy while addressing the current global energy crisis.

Frontieras’ Solid Carbon Fractionation embodies the definition of clean technology as it eliminates the waste from processing coal and extracts high value liquids and gases from solids while producing a purified solid carbon product known as FASCarbon™. Because the volatiles are already removed from the FASCarbon during the FASForm process, it is ideal for industrial uses (steel and cement production) where the carbon is used for heat. Additionally, FASCarbon has 90% less sulfur than Petcoke, which  lowers the carbon footprint and reduces CO2 emissions. Frontieras FASForm produces several other high value gas and intermediate liquid fuels, including methane, naphtha, kerosene, jet fuel and diesel.  The production of these products helps to address the current energy crisis and provides energy security for multiple sectors. 

Frontieras’ FASForm plant deploys a continuous-feed refining process for coal and other solids that uses constant heat and pressure to reform, refine and liberate the constituents of solid carbonaceous materials containing volatile compounds. By deconstructing the coal to its core elements, the Frontieras FASForm clean technology process:

·       Removes nearly all sulfur, mercury, and arsenic, as well as the moisture, which upgrades the thermal value of the final carbon product.

·       Captures and repurposes energy elements contained within a solid hydrocarbon, so no waste is emitted into the air, water, and soil.

·       Repurposes the captured volatiles to lower the carbon footprint and reduce CO2 emissions.

While several factors have contributed to the current global energy crisis, we believe governments around the world over rotated in a rush to go green without building a proper infrastructure and insuring abundant, affordable, and available sources of energy. Not only did governments invest in renewable technology and provide subsidies to artificially prop up the green market, but they shut down operational coal plants across the globe and limited funding for oil and gas exploration and new technology development. Concurrently, we saw a push within the financial markets to direct funding away from fossil fuel companies toward ESG-friendly investments. The combination of these actions has the United States and many other countries around the world scrambling to address a serious supply and demand issue for reliable energy.

To understand how this came about, you must go back to 2015 when the global community came together to address climate change. This meeting resulted in the Paris Accords, an international treaty adopted by 196 parties at the end of 2015 and entered into force in November of 2016.  The Accords are focused on three main objectives: reduce carbon emissions, invest in sustainable energy and minimize any further damage to the environment.  While the Paris Accords set the guardrails for how we address climate change and protect the environment from rising temperatures, governments across the globe focused resources, subsidies and cycles on technologies that did not have the capacity to scale.  Most countries focused on the production and deployment of renewable energy.  Renewable energy, including wind  and solar, has proven unreliable and not at scale to meet the current demand.  Additionally, the technology (i.e. batteries) necessary to store the amount of energy is not available to date.

Jump forward seven years and according to Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of UN Climate Change, “We are still nowhere near the scale and pace of emission reductions required to put us on track toward a 1.5 degrees Celsius world. To keep this goal alive, national governments need to strengthen their climate action plans now and implement them in the next eight years.”

As we roll through Winter and prepare for 2023, we are starting to see the impact of these actions both at home and abroad. The East Coast of the United States faces the highest energy bills in 25 years and is expected to suffer rolling blackouts, with retailers rationing goods on shelves to prevent panic buying, and deteriorating stockpiles of diesel and natural gas.  Abroad, the lack of energy has Germany teetering on the brink of collapse and Western Europe scrambling to account for a lack of available fuels.

The introduction of Frontieras’ Solid Carbon Fractionation™ (SCF) helps countries meet current energy demands, utilize available and reliable energy sources, while allowing them to meet their climate-friendly technology goals.  Emily Arthun, CEO of the American Coal Council, punctuated this sentiment in a recent article when she said, “Investment in technology for the clean use of coal needs to be advanced at a pace equal to green energy to give the world affordable and reliable options.”

At Frontieras, we believe hydrocarbons will continue to play a leading role in the global energy mix.  The continued investment in clean technology is essential to addressing the current crisis and avoiding future scenarios where energy demand outstrips supply. 

Frontieras illustrates how technology, science, and business work together to create efficiencies in a mature market.  The Frontieras FASForm plant’s zero waste approach repurposes the captured violates, lowers the carbon footprint, and reduces CO2 emissions.  In addition to the environmental benefits, this allows the production of FASCarbon helps comply to changing regulatory demands and create a more efficient fuels.

As we look forward, we need to acknowledge the important roles that clean technology and coal play in every aspect of our lives. Instead of creating policies to eliminate the use of coal, today’s governments need to evolve their thinking about  how innovation, technology and collaboration allow us to harness the ubiquitous supply of coal here in the U.S. and in other coal-rich countries.  This collaboration will benefit all of us by creating energy security and helping us achieve the goals set by the Paris Accords.

To learn more about Frontieras North America and its patented energy solution or to invest in the company, please visit  www.Frontieras.com.

To see a 3D animation of how Frontieras' first zero-waste FASForm plant will work, please watch the video below.