Scaling Carbon Capture for Hard-to-abate sectors: Danielle Rapson of Mantel

Danielle Rapson, HBS alum and Co-founder and COO of Mantel, joins Climate Rising to explain how her company is developing a novel molten-based carbon capture system for hard-to-abate industrial sectors. Danielle shares the story of how Mantel spun out of an MIT lab, what sets its technology apart from existing amine-based carbon capture, and why the economics of steam reuse are critical to its efficiency. She also discusses how Mantel’s early projects in pulp and paper and oil refining are shaping its path to commercialization, and what policy and regulatory incentives—like 45Q and Canada’s carbon tax—mean for scaling carbon removal solutions.

This episode is part of our alumni series, which also features Eric Adamson, Robotics Executive at Oishii and co-founder of Tortuga AgTech, and Hui Wen Chan of Crusoe, which uses stranded energy to power AI data centers. Explore the full series at climaterising.org.

Resources Mentioned • Mantel – Developing molten material-based carbon capture for industrial emissions • Breakthrough Energy Fellows – A program supporting early-stage climate tech innovators • The Engine – VC firm backing tough tech startups out of MIT • MCJ – "My Climate Journey," a podcast and investor network on climate tech • Kruger– Canadian pulp and paper partner for Mantel’s first demonstration project • 45Q Tax Credit (U.S. IRS) – U.S. tax credit for carbon capture and sequestration • Canada’s Carbon Tax Policy – A national carbon pricing mechanism incentivizing low-carbon tech

Host and Guest Host: Mike Toffel, Professor, Harvard Business School (LinkedIn)

Guest: Danielle Rapson, Co-founder & COO, Mantel (LinkedIn)