Bite-Size Climate Tech

Hosted by Lydia.C

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116

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May 2026

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About the show

”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.

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June 16, 2026Episode 319 min

Can We Grow Oil From Algae? Ian Hu of Phycobloom

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

May 28, 2026Episode 215 min

Can CO₂ Become Food? Arborea’s BioSolar Leaf Explained

At Innovation Zero, I spoke with Kaly from Arborea about BioSolar Leaf, a cultivation platform that uses carbon dioxide, sunlight, and microalgae to create food ingredients.What made this episode especially memorable for me is that Arborea’s story unexpectedly connected to one of my own London memories.When I first moved to London 5 years ago, I remember seeing Arborea’s beautiful bionic chandelier at the V&A Museum. I had no idea the company behind that installation would come back into my life years later — this time as a live climate-tech business I’d meet and record with at Innovation Zero.That moment made me reflect on something bigger:sometimes we don’t know whether a business can truly scale until time proves it. Sometimes what begins as an extraordinary piece of art or an experimental idea becomes an industrial platform, a real company, and a real commercial story.In this episode, we talk about:- how BioSolar Leaf works- how Arborea uses CO₂ + sunlight + microalgae- why Kaly describes it like a kind of “magic tree”- how the company evolved from the V&A bionic chandelier to industrial scale-up- why this feels like such a strong example of the Season 5 theme: Climate Tech Is Just Good BusinessNote: Some visual sequences in this episode are AI-assisted conceptual animations created to help explain the technology. They are not intended to represent actual Arborea facility footage unless otherwise stated.Learn more about Arborea: https://arborea.io/The Bionic Chandelier: https://www.julianmelchiorri.com/Bionic-Chandelierhttps://www.vam.ac.uk/event/1K6b2QKe/exhale-bionic-chandelier-ldfIf you enjoy these short, human conversations with the founders, scientists, and operators building the future of climate tech, I’d love for you to subscribe.#ClimateTech #FoodTech #Microalgae #CO2 #Arborea #BioSolarLeaf #InnovationZero #BiteSizeClimateTechBite-Size Climate Tech makes complex climate solutions simple, human, and engaging.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.

May 11, 2026Episode 216 min

Giving EV Batteries an NthLife™ with Samsar Resources

What happens to an EV battery after it stops powering a car?In the opening episode of Bite-Size Climate Tech Season 5, Lydia speaks with Guillermo Garcia, President and CEO of Samsar Resources, about battery circularity, reuse, and the company’s NthLife™ approach.Samsar designs, inspects, and repurposes batteries so they can keep creating value across new applications instead of being discarded too early.We talk about why battery reuse is not just good for the planet, but also good business, how to explain the idea through a Toy Story analogy, and what it takes for climate technology to move from lab to market.This episode kicks off Season 5’s new theme: Climate Tech Is Just Good Business.Bite-Size Climate Tech makes complex climate solutions simple, human, and engaging.Learn more about Samsar Resources:https://www.samsarresources.com/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 Production

May 10, 2026Episode 10 min

From lab to market, Season 5 of Bite-Size Climate Tech

Season 5 of Bite-Size Climate Tech is almost here.This time, we’re going from lab to market.Because climate tech is not just about brilliant science. It is about building solutions people can understand, trust, fund, buy, and scale.Or, as CLI would put it:Climate tech is just good business.Episode 1 lands Monday.Bite-Size Climate Tech makes complex climate solutions simple, human, and engaging.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-techLearn more about Samsar Resources:https://www.samsarresources.com/Hosted 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.

December 18, 2025Episode 1213 min

Season 4 Finale - Sunlight‑Powered CO₂ Capture & K‑Pop Carbon Tales

In this Bite‑Size Climate Tech finale, Dr Anna de Vries takes us from lab bench to lemonade stand to explain how photoacids could make carbon capture cheaper and greener. Traditional systems use heat or electricity to release CO₂, but Anna’s solution uses light‑reactive molecules that switch from alkaline to acidic under sunlight. In darkness they flip back, allowing CO₂ to be captured again. This swing cycle runs at ambient temperature and pressure and requires far less energy than conventional methods.Along the way, we explore how this new science ties into pop culture (yes, there’s a K‑pop “soda pop” reference), why a young researcher chose climate tech over other paths, and how a cultural shift among the wealthiest could drive climate action. Anna closes the season with a simple message: no impact is too small.

November 28, 2025Episode 1113 min

How Endolith’s Microbes Unlock Critical Minerals (with Dr. Liz Dennett)

Dr. Liz Dennett , founder and CEO of Endolith joins Lydia to unpack why copper remains indispensable, how ore grades have plummeted over the last century, and how her company uses AI‑guided microbes to unlock metals others leave behind. From hydrometallurgy to monster cookies, this episode delivers science, storytelling and hope. Stay tuned until the end for Liz’s one‑sentence vision for a climate‑positive future.🔗 Learn more about Endolith: https://www.endolithmining.com/

November 11, 2025Episode 1013 min

“BetterFeed™ – The tiny pill turning cow burps into productivity

Cows are upcyclers, turning grass into milk and meat—but their digestion also wastes up to 10 % of feed energy as methane. Methane has a global warming potential ~28–80× higher than CO₂. Our guest, Tom Williams (CEO & co‑founder of Number 8 Bio), explains how his team screened thousands of compounds to create BetterFeed™, a small organic molecule delivered in a slow‑release bolus. Once in the rumen, it prevents methane‑producing microbes from growing and redirects carbon and hydrogen back into growth. In trials, BetterFeed has cut methane emissions by over 80 % while improving weight gain and milk quality.Tom also answers a listener question about taking a technology from TRL 2 to TRL 7, shares why he’s been thinking about methane since his childhood in rural New Zealand, and leaves us with a hopeful note: humans have only scratched the surface of what’s possible.Learn more: BetterFeed science ➜ number8.bio/the-science

October 28, 2025Episode 911 min

This Carbon‑Capture Device Recharges Itself — NORMA’s Supercapacitor DAC

What if cleaning CO₂ from the atmosphere could be as efficient as charging a battery? In this bite-sized episode, we dive into a breakthrough that does exactly that.We're talking with Dr. Silvia Pugliese, co-founder and CTO of Norma, about her company's revolutionary approach to Direct Air Capture (DAC). Forget energy-intensive, massive plants. Norma is using supercapacitors—the same tech that powers quick acceleration in electric buses—to create a system that captures carbon and reuses the energy to keep going.In this 10-minute episode, you'll discover: How Norma's "supercapacitive direct air capture" works (think of a magic, self-recharging CO₂ vacuum).This isn't just another carbon capture idea; it's a fundamentally new way to think about cleaning our atmosphere, making it more efficient and scalable.

October 8, 2025Episode 87 min

How Paper Survives Fire: The Art of Biochar with Billie Ireland

This might be our most unexpected story yet — where science meets art.Lydia meets Billie Ireland, an ecological artist using biochar — carbon made from organic material heated without oxygen — to create striking paper and rose sculptures.Hear how the same process that locks carbon underground can create beauty above it, why pyrolysis doesn’t burn, and what this says about life, death, and transformation.🌍 Episode 8 of Bite-Size Climate Tech S4 | Related: The Power of Biochar (Innovation Zero, S2E16)

September 23, 2025Episode 713 min

Ocean Soup Explained: How Alkalinity Draws Down CO₂ (Grace Andrews | Hourglass Climate)

In this episode of Bite-Size Climate Tech, I sit down with Dr. Grace Andrews to explore Ocean Soup — the idea that adding minerals to the ocean is like adding ingredients to a recipe. Done right, it raises alkalinity, pulls CO₂ from the air back into the sea, and keeps our climate in balance. Done wrong… it’s like adding too much salt.Grace explains:🌊 Ocean alkalinity enhancement and “the recipe” for safe CO₂ removal🧪 Why measuring alkalinity and trace elements matters (MRV & EMRV)🥄 How even hard science can feel relatable when explained through cooking🌱 A sentence of hope about why this work mattersThis conversation reminded me of my favourite moment in a meal — a perfectly cooked soup — and how the ocean, like that, is part of life itself. Balanced, nourishing, alive.Recorded ahead of NY Climate Week, with shout-outs to Grace Andrews, Hourglass Climate, [C]Worthy, and Dr. Alicia K. for hosting and driving the ocean CDR conversation. Cheering you all from afar 💚▶️ Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWk-fagdkKk#OceanCDR #Alkalinity #ClimateTech #MakeClimateCoolAgain