Frontieras North America Straddles the Fossil Fuel vs. Clean Energy Debate with Zero-Waste FASForm Technology
Written by Matthew McKean, CEO and co-founder of Frontieras North America (LinkedIn)
Frontieras’ Solid Carbon Fractionation technology, which yields solid, liquid and gas energies by deconstructing coal, illustrates that the company is poised to not simply become a unicorn, but rather a stable of them. Selling directly into commodities markets, Frontieras’ delivery of a diverse group of energy yields (hydrogen, methane, naphtha, jet fuel and diesel as well as high value solid, FASCarbon™) allows it to support the demand that is being driven by a growing population that is outpacing current energy inventory.
Frontieras FASForm™ is a new technology that extracts maximum value from coal and other hydrocarbons. Unique in the market for its innovation, Frontieras offers the opportunity to invest in new technology that produces no waste and concentrates on fossil fuels which currently account for more 80% of the world’s energy. Frontieras’ FASForm™ plant deploys a continuous-feed refining process for coal and other solids that uses continuous heat and pressure to reform, refine and liberate the constituents of solid carbonaceous materials that contain volatile compounds. By deconstructing the coal to its core elements, the Frontieras FASForm 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 corporate America rallies around the ESG and clean energy movement, the financial industry continues to invest heavily in fossil fuels. A recent article in Oil.com shared several interesting findings from Dealogic including that the amount of cash raised in 2021 for both oil and gas and green projects was almost identical at $570 Billion. Specific banks, including JPMorgan Chase, Citi, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America were recognized as the world’s leading fossil fuel financiers over the last six years. According to the article, these groups, along with 60 other financial institutions, tout their commitments to helping their client’s transition to clean investments, and yet funneled $185.5 billion in 2021 into the 100 companies doing the most to expand the fossil fuel sector.
These financial facts surrounding fossil fuel investments are aligned with and support Frontieras as it embraces a three-prong capital investment strategy to break ground on its first FASForm plant in West Virginia. Frontieras, rallying around the concept of fossil fuel advancement technology, appeals to diverse audiences, including private and public investment, as well as the Department of Energy. Frontieras’ plans to construct several FASForm plants, first in the United States, and then abroad where its technology is already patented in nine countries. Additionally, Frontieras’ small footprint allows it to expand the lifecycle and value of existing coal plants. Frontieras believes that this cooperative approach allows it to modernize existing coal plants, meet changing regulatory requirements and improve the output with higher quality products.
The findings within the above mentioned Dealogic report also point to the fact that the renewable market is not ready to stand alone and is surviving only on financial subsidies from governments. Today’s energy market is intertwined across the globe and requires countries, governments, and individuals to do their part and work together. The global financial industry recognizes, perhaps better than anyone, that the current cry for clean products loses steam when energy is no longer available. One simply needs to look at what happened in Europe when Russia shut off its gas pipeline to understand this dilemma.
Modern civilization was built on the oil and gas industry. Today’s developed countries have had access to available and affordable energy. Underdeveloped countries (i.e. India and China) have not historically had access to abundant energy and as a result have held on tight to the use of fossil fuels to ensure that they are able to support increased demands. Frontieras is an emerging energy company that appeals to a broad audience. Frontieras’ FASForm technology is positioned to change the way that fossil fuels are discussed and because of its high yields, address the shortcomings that are a result of years of neglect by the government and lack of motivation by existing energy companies. Frontieras North America provides the opportunity to invest in a new technology that bridges the gap between clean energy and fossil fuel to address the current energy crisis.