Carbon Neutral Initiative - De30 Biofuel

Team Leader

Volentina Nicholson

Solution Overview & Team Lead Details

Solution name.

Provide a one-line summary of your solution.

The defosilized-30 is a semi-synthetic Biofuel blend more sustainable than the current ethanol blended fuels.Improving refinery operational efficiency.

What specific problem are you trying to solve?

With gradual depletion of fossil fuels, widespread concerns have been raised regarding production of fuels or chemicals from renewable biomass such as plants, agriculture wastes and forest residues. Ethanol has been produced on industrial scales through fermentation of lignocellulose and is one of the largest volume biofuels. It is used directly as a fuel or blended in gasoline as an additive; however, a relatively low energy density, high hygroscopicity and corrosion to metal parts restrict its application in the transportation sector.

The greenhouse effect has been a big concern in our modern world for the last few decades, as it is significantly influenced by the pollutant emissions generated from the combustion of fossil fuels. Between the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the price of fuel has skyrocketed. This has forced many refineries to close because of the high operational costs and countries to declare bankruptcy due to energy insecurity. Since 2021, both Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan have declared bankruptcy, and this was largely due to energy insecurity. With prices projected to rise over the next year many Developed countries and developing countries all over the world are at risk.

The Carbon Neutral Initiative aims to help countries lower fossil fuel dependency and improve the operational efficiency of the energy sector using local renewable resources so they may improve resilience amidst the global energy crisis.

What is your solution?

The De30 biofuel makes use of widely available ethanol and converts it to mostly butanol and C5–C9 alcohols. Using existing infrastructure and locally produced bioethanol. Our solution is called The Defossilized-30 biofuel, and it is a semisynthetic biofuel that is less polluting as such cleaner and more economically sustainable as such cheaper to produce than the currently used ethanol blended fuels (E10).
In this process we upgrade cheap ethanol to higher and more stable alcohols and blend it with less gasoline, reaching a higher ratio, impossible for ethanol blended fuels resulting in a cheaper and cleaner high octane fuel. Higher alcohols with 5-carbon structure, is considered a more promising biofuel due to its better fuel properties such as higher energy density, higher cetane number, better blending stability, and less hygroscopic nature than methanol and ethanol. This technology is highly versatile in that it can be blended to make gasoline , marine biodiesel and aviation fuels.

Who does your solution serve? In what ways will the solution impact their lives?

We are aiming to play a niche role in a 109-billion-dollar total addressable global market. Our serviceable addressable market is valued at 40 billion dollars targeting regional (Caribbean and Americas) refineries. Working with local refineries, our serviceable obtainable market is valued at 300 million. Our business model is licensing revenue models to multiple refineries. We will partner with refineries, provide them with the formula and establish a partnership on pilot projects serving as paid consultants and generate revenue from a licensing fee. Our negotiated royalty is planned to be between $10 - $12 per barrel produced. Based on our most conservative worst case scenario projections, we estimate to clear 5% of any local market in 1 year of operation and 30% after 5 years.

The Carbon Neutral Initiative produces an environmentally superior and more economically sustainable technology than what is currently in place. Currently refineries use ethanol blended fuels known as E10, but this has many disadvantages. 33% E10 has a lower energy density which is bad for fuel economy and is not compatible with some vehicles. E10 incurs extra transport cost 1800 US dollars per tank trip because E10 can’t be sent through gas pipelines making it much more expensive. The De30 fuel has a much lower operating cost as it is suitable for distribution through existing pipelines eliminating the extra transport cost. De30 lowers fossil dependency by using local renewable resources and less imported fossil fuels. Our solution reaches a larger market being compatible with more cars and is versatile being applicable to biodiesel and bio aviation fuels and as such will stay relevant as the world turns to more electrical vehicles.

The most notable difference between the De30 upgrading of ethanol to higher alcohols and conventional ethanol oligomerization process is the increased need for recycling in the oligomerization reaction step in the ETJ process. This results in increased capital costs and energy requirements that accompany higher flow rates through the reactor and distillation units. Leading to higher Fixed operating expenses for the ethanol to jet case. These alternate concepts aim to improve ethanol-to-jet approaches by increasing the variability (in terms of length and branching qualities) of the alcohol to better fit desired fuel profiles downstream. This approach also introduces opportunities for co-products (ketones, esters, higher alcohols).

So it is prominent that we take int consideration both our environment and consumers by creating a bio fuel variations that are stable for all forms of transportation that has a higher energy density,cheaper to produce and cleaner.

How are you and your team well-positioned to deliver this solution?

We created this company because of the uncertainty of the Conference of Parties (COP26) climate change summit and the ever-rising negative effects of climate change while the big governments argue if it’s really happening or not yet fail to make any real progress to a cleaner technology and more efficient economy. We are confident we are the right person to do business because we work tirelessly to bring out the best in each other and the development of our projects. The Carbon Neutral Initiative is made up of a highly competent team:
Damani Thomas
Founder, CEO and Inventor: With a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies Majoring in Environmental Chemistry and Engineering Damani is the Founder Head Researcher and CEO of Carbon Neutral Initiative and leads the research and development of various revolutionary and sustainable eco-friendly innovations, he is the creator of the Carbon Attack Filter and De30 Biofuel. He leads all plans in product design and future development, engineering, and manufacturing.

Volentina Nicholson
Cofounder, Communications Lead and PRO: Majoring in International Relations she is a Founding member of our team. Valentina Nicholson in charge of an organization's communications, public relations, and public affairs. The PRO oversees organizing and coordinating all PR events and media relations for the Carbon Neutral Initiative. Volentina is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in International Relations with an emphasis on her interest in linguistic, geography and international law which is very effective for secretary competences and research writing as well as speech related roles.

Aaliyah Noble
Web Developer, Researcher: Our esteemed Researcher and Web developer Aaliyah Noble is pursuing a BSc in Mechatronics Engineering. Aaliyah oversees research programs in order to achieve specific goals. They are responsible for determining research objectives, managing the Carbon Neutral Initiative website, and establishing budgets for the organization.

Roderick Gordon
Lawyer and Chief Operations Officer: Experienced Advocate & Commercial Lawyer with a demonstrated history of working in the law practice industry. Skilled in Energy & Infrastructure Negotiation, Intellectual Property Law, International Law, Entrepreneurship, Strategic Planning, and Legal Research. 26 years in practice in Jamaica, served in both the private and public sectors as a Chairman of a Board of Directors in various industries. Certificate of Legal Education (CLE) focused on Bar Qualification from Norman Manley Law School.

Abigail Hentges

Chemical Engineer: Abby Hentges has a Chemical Engineering degree from Colorado School of Mines, and is nearly finished with her Master of Science in Energy Policy and Climate from Johns Hopkins University. She has had roles in the traditional oil and gas sector and the renewables sector with Shell Oil Company. In these roles she conducted process safety analyses, technical modeling of oil, gas, and renewables systems, financial modeling of renewables systems, and she helped to lead a company-wide grassroots organization for the energy transition. She now works as a senior engineering consultant for Luminate LLC conducting both engineering and financial due diligence for many types of renewables projects.

Akshay Makar

Engineering Advisor: Akshay Makar is an experienced thought-leader, Innovator and Climate Entrepreneur within the field of sustainability. His vision is to dedicate his professional career in making breakthrough technologies using Innovation as a tool for improved sustainability practice, helping global sustainable solutions succeed, and making the sustainability agenda more attractive. He is driven by a strong passion to accelerate the transition towards a renewable energy future. Under his leadership, CLIMATENZA has become a global energy company with offices in India and Chile. Apart from this, he is working with partner organizations in India, Bangladesh, Togo, and Chile to promote solar thermal technologies in the industrial sector.

Nicholas Coutts
Business Development Advisor: Experience in innovation management and incubation and automotive, financial services, IT, media, and telecoms sectors. Conference and seminar speaker and workshop facilitator. Former chair of Mapa Research; former chairman of Smartology. Coach with ETICoop and mentor for Oxentia with the Royal Academy of Engineering Leaders in Innovation Fellowship programme 2019. Associate with Cambridge Investment Research. Advisor to Plumis.
Global routes to market expert: former Vice President, Global Distribution Channel Strategy, IBM.

Our Fundraising and Go to Market Advisors

Bryan Duarte - Social Venturist| Entrepreneur| Angel Investor |Founders Institute| Licensed Professional Engineer. Co-Founder and the Managing Partner at BlackTech Capital (BTC) and the Founder & CEO of Enliten Energy Services Corporation (Enliten).

With decades of extensive expertise in the Energy, CleanTech and Sustainability sectors where I see A New Emerging Energy Future. For me the key to sustainability is not if we can

overcome the technological challenges, it is all about finding and nurturing the great people and companies that are already creating the technology solutions.Now my focus with BlackTech Capital is to ensure that we develop great companies that are Good for People, Good for the Planet! We are focused on ensuring that Black and Other Underrepresented Founders get funding, especially at the pilot stages of their companies’ development. All the while strategically guiding them to create the CleanTech and Sustainability solutions needed in the world today.

Startups and Venture Development Advisory Services (Accelerators & Venture Creation) Corporate Innovation Programs and Innovation Labs Development, New Market Identification, Entry & Execution Programs, CxO Coaching and Mentoring Advisory Services, New Product Development (NPD) Consulting, M&A Facilitation, Growth Structuring, IP Commercialization and Value Engineering, Investment Vehicles Creation, VC Labs, Fund Management Consulting and Company Incorporation Services (Delaware, ADGM, DIFC)

Sameer Babbar - Australian Institute of Company Directors. Consultant, Mentor and Trainer Helping entrepreneurs and organizations by leveraging strategic analytics and technology.

I help entrepreneurs and organizations maximize outcomes by leveraging strategic analytics and technology.

What steps have you taken to understand the needs of the population you want to serve?

The World is still over 80% reliant on fossil fuels with current rates of fuel consumption projected to stay the same up to 2050 as it in 2022. It is obvious most of the world is not resilient to market changes and that was made most evident over the past 2 years. even superpowers like the US and EU to face shortages and increased prices in oil, gas and electricity markets. We know our customers need this product because we are in an energy crisis. We have the great honor of creating a strategy for energy resilience on a global scale to help developing countries and developed countries alike to quickly, realistically and sustainably step away from being dependent on fossil fuels using existing infrastructure and local resources to meet energy requirements at much more economic rates. We have worked on this company and solution with Caribbean Climate Innovation Center, European Technology Chamber Energy Alliance Development Bank of Jamaica and University of the Commonwealth Caribbean

We have done surveys with over 100 respondents and interviewed 5 energy executives in our local market from both private and government factions of the energy sector.
Our key assumptions were that the public is outraged by high fuel prices.
Jamaica has been unable to transition to renewables due to heavy spending on current energy needs and the energy sector is interested in better solutions

We found that most interviewees are outraged and concerned about energy insecurity.
The Current energy bill is over 8% of GDP as such, they don't have the funds to bear overhead costs of renewable projects which is the case for most developing countries.
And The Jamaican Government has expressed interest in the De30 fuel and we are discussing prospects for a joint pilot project between The Carbon Neutral Initiative and Petrojam (largest refinery in Jamaica) over the next 3 months

Which aspects of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Taking action to combat climate change and its impacts (Sustainability)

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Prototype: A venture or organization building and testing its product, service, or business model

In what city, town, or region is your solution team located?

Ocho Rios, Jamaica

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

Volentina Nicholson