Bite-Size Climate Tech

”Bite-size Climate Tech" is your go-to source for easy-to-digest content on the latest and most cutting-edge climate technology and topics of the day. With around 5min per per episode, this podcast is for non-engineers and everyday people like myself, to peak into the incredible world of climate tech.

Bite-Size Climate Tech is a technology podcast hosted by Lydia.C, with 121 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Lydia.C hosts Bite-Size Climate Tech, a technology show with 121 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #9

  CO₂ to Ethylene with Alex Ip, CERT Systems

  Sep 29, 202620 minS5

  What do bananas, shampoo bottles, clothes and aviation fuel have in common? Ethylene. It is one of industry’s most useful building-block molecules, and today it is largely made from fossil feedstocks. In this episode of Bite-Size Climate Tech, I speak with Alex Ip, Co-founder & CEO of CERT Systems, about a different route: using CO₂, water and electricity to make ethylene through direct CO₂ electrolysis. Alex explains the science with Lego blocks and an “electrolyser sandwich,” then we get into the Season 5 question: why could this be good business? We talk about why making the same drop-in molecule matters for existing industrial processes, modular production, moving from lab proof towards commercial demonstration, the pathway towards cost competitiveness, and what winning Tencent CarbonX could unlock for CERT. And underneath all of it is a bigger idea: future generations shouldn’t have to give up useful materials, mobility or quality of life to solve climate change. The challenge is finding a better way to make them. ️ Bite-Size Climate Tech Season 5: Climate Tech Is Just Good Business Learn more about CERT Systems: https://co2cert.com/ Explore Bite-Size Climate Tech: https://www.dayzeroproduction.com/bite-size-climate-tech Support Season 5: https://www.dayzeroproduction.com/bite-size-climate-tech/support

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  Episode #8

  What If Hempcrete Poured Like Pancake Batter? | Bison Biocomposites

  Sep 15, 202618 minS5

  What if hempcrete could pour like pancake batter? In this episode of Bite-Size Climate Tech, Lydia talks with Dr. Marc Maguire, Chief Scientific Officer at Bison Biocomposites, about Biofill, a flowable hemp-based insulation designed to make a traditionally labor-intensive material fit more easily into modern construction. Along the way, we somehow get from snowballs to shaving cream, pancake batter and finally an ice-cream sandwich, all in the name of explaining what happens inside a wall. Marc also gets into the harder commercial questions: why conventional insulation is so difficult to replace, what “better, faster and cheaper” really means, and what happens to the hemp supply chain if construction demand starts to scale. Plus, in Pass It On, we talk AI, engineering and why expertise still matters when the machine sounds convincing. Season 5: Climate Tech Is Just Good Business. Support Season 5:https://www.dayzeroproduction.com/bite-size-climate-tech/supportLearn more about Bite-Size Climate Tech:https://www.dayzeroproduction.com/bite-size-climate-techHosted by Lydia ChenProduced by Day Zero ProductionFollow Bite-Size Climate Tech:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bite_size_climatetechLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/bite-size-climate-tech/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/02aADu5pkKjlVFGTxUNT5W?si=0b3c9a44c6db453bHave a guest suggestion, partnership idea, or climate tech story we should cover?Write to Lydia at lydia@dayzeroproduction.com Bite-Size Climate Tech is an independent climate technology show making hard ideas easier to understand. Each episode explores one climate solution through plain-English explanations, founder stories, practical business questions, and a little help from CLI, our curious climate mascot.Season 5 asks a simple question:What does it take for climate technology to move from lab to market?Subscribe, share, and support the show if you want more clear, human, and useful climate storytelling.© 2026 Day Zero Production Limited. All rights reserved.

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  Episode #6

  How Climate Tech Gets Out of the Lab | Prof. Vikram Yadav

  Aug 12, 202617 minS5

  Most Bite-Size Climate Tech episodes start with one technology. This conversation became something much bigger. Professor Vikram Yadav happened to be in London, the weather cooperated, and we recorded one of those rare in-person BSCT episodes. We start with intelligent bioprocessing and a deceptively simple question: when does a scientific invention actually become innovation? From there, we explore why climate technologies need to be designed for scale from the beginning, why commercial reality matters alongside scientific performance, and why scientists should be bold enough to ask how their inventions might fail. We also talk about how to bring more talented people into climate work, Vikram’s journey from chemical engineering and oil & gas into biotechnology, the book that helped him see biology as a tool for planetary-scale problems, and why he remains optimistic about the next generation. Vikram is a professor at the University of British Columbia and Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer of Tydra Labs. One idea became the spine of the conversation: There is a difference between invention and innovation. A breakthrough only becomes innovation when it works in the real world, at scale. Recorded in London, May 2026. Season 5: Climate Tech Is Just Good Business. #ClimateTech #Bioprocessing #Innovation #ScienceCommunication

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  Episode #5

  Can Cement Be Made With 85% Less CO₂ at the Same Cost? | Erin Bobicki, CURA

  Jul 24, 202616 minS5

  Cement’s hidden CO₂ problem begins inside the rock itself. Much of cement’s emissions does not come only from the fuel burned in a kiln. The CO₂ is chemically locked inside limestone. Dr. Erin R. Bobicki, co-founder and CEO of CURA, joins Lydia Chen to explain how the company aims to separate that CO₂ before the limestone enters the cement kiln. Using the familiar reaction between vinegar and chalk, Erin breaks down CURA’s electrochemical pre-calcination process: electricity produces acid and base, the acid releases a concentrated stream of CO₂ from limestone, and the remaining calcium can still be used to make cement. They explore: • Why cleaner kiln fuel cannot solve cement’s full emissions problem • How CURA captures CO₂ before the kiln • The volcano experiment that makes the chemistry understandable • CURA’s pathway from laboratory work to paid pilot and commercial deployment • How carbon pricing is changing the economics of cement • The northern Labrador experience that deepened Erin’s commitment to climate • Why the cheapest option must also become the greenest option CURA says its process could reduce cement-production emissions by up to 85% and manage the carbon at cost parity with conventional cement manufacturing. But the final thought that stayed with Lydia was more personal. Erin has six children, and they are already excited about the technology and the mission behind it. As Erin put it: “The next generation is already on it.” Since this conversation was recorded, CURA has announced that its 5 kg/day mini-pilot is operational: https://curaclimate.com/press/curas-mini-pilot-is-operational Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/c-ggbzQILno Learn more about CURA: https://curaclimate.com/ Explore Bite-Size Climate Tech: https://www.dayzeroproduction.com/bite-size-climate-tech Support Season 5: https://www.dayzeroproduction.com/bite-size-climate-tech/support Figures, commercial claims, and deployment plans reflect CURA’s statements at the time of recording. Selected visual explanations were created with AI-assisted animation and are intended as conceptual illustrations, not engineering schematics.

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  Episode #3

  Can We Grow Oil From Algae? Ian Hu of Phycobloom

  Jun 16, 202619 minS5

  Algae already make oil. The hard part is getting them to share it. In this episode of Bite-Size Climate Tech, Lydia speaks with Ian Hu, CTO and co-founder of Phycobloom, a synthetic biology company engineering microalgae to release oil while staying alive. Ian explains why crude oil originally came from ancient photosynthetic life, why traditional algae oil production was so energy-intensive, and how Phycobloom is exploring a different approach: teaching algae to release oil into their surroundings without destroying the cell. The conversation covers algae 1.0, DNA as an instruction manual, synthetic biology, the “Monsters, Inc. 2.0” analogy, sustainable aviation fuel, energy security, techno-economics, and why climate startups need to think beyond the science from day one. We also discuss Phycobloom’s internal techno-economic analysis, which suggests their approach could reduce production cost compared with conventional algae oil production by around 70 percent. This is early-stage science, but it points to a big question: could living systems become a better way to make the carbon-based fuels and materials that electrification cannot easily replace? Bite-Size Climate Tech Season 5 is about why climate tech is just good business. Note for video viewers: selected B-roll and animations in the video version are AI-assisted and used as educational explainers. The interview and company context are real. Learn more about Phycobloom: https://www.phycobloom.com/ Support Bite-Size Climate Tech Season 5: https://www.dayzeroproduction.com/bite-size-climate-tech/support

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