#215 Decarbonizing Mining, Microbes x Metals, National Security x Climate, & the Microbe Mafia | Liz Dennett (Endolith)

Today, we are speaking with Liz Dennett, the CEO and Founder of Endolith. 

Endolith recently spun out of Cemvita to form its own independent company. (Ep #200 with Moji from Cemvita)

By 2050, we will need more copper than in the history of mankind due to the electrification of industry and developing countries. If we don’t solve this, it could lead to geopolitical conflicts. 

Their tech uses microbes to eat crushed rocks and poop out copper (I did say explain it to me like I’m 5). They add this to existing mining operations to increase output by ~10%. 

This helps us get closer to solving copper demand.

In today’s conversation, we cover
**Copper in electrification
**Her journey to CEO of Endolith
**Why copper could be the thing wars are fought over
**The innovation behind microbial mining
**The balance between generating hype and focusing on scientific advancements

Enjoy! 

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Topics:
**0:00 The Importance of Coppe
**2:49 Liz's Journey to Endolith
**6:06 Microbes and Metal Recovery
**8:49 Deep Tech Startup Challenges
**12:11 Spinning-Out of Endolith from Cemvita
**14:53 The Impact of Copper on Society
**18:04 Geopolitics and Copper
**20:57 Electrification and Global Outcomes
**25:40 Speaking Truth to Power
**28:26 The Complexities of Clean Energy Access
**30:44 Areas to Decarbonize Mining
**32:36 Partnering with Mining Incumbents
**35:55 Balancing Hype and ‘Doing Science’
**40:39 The Role of Politics in Green Mining
**45:11 Recycling & the Future of Minerals

Links:
**Liz Dennett | Endolith
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**@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X
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