Carbon Hunters Episode 3: Summit Nanotech wants to make lithium mining sustainable

Amanda Hall was working in the oil and gas sector when she had what she says was a bit of an existential crisis. The geophysicist wondered what the future of energy would be and set out to figure out how to mine lithium in a way that puts planet first. In 2018, this led her to found Summit Nanotech, a company that has developed a technology it says can double lithium yields over a conventional process while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and waste. Today, as demand for lithium has car companies knocking down Hall’s door, the CEO explains why getting lithium from Chile is more sustainable than digging up mined-in-Canada lithium.  

This week, Diana Fox Carney speaks to Hall about her Calgary-based company, which recently raised US$50 million in a Series A2 funding round. Fox Carney also catches up with Clea Kolster, the head of science and a partner at Lowercarbon Capital, about how Summit Nanotech fits into the larger cleantech picture. 

Listen and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Find earlier episodes here and here.