Conflict of Interest Disclosure

The conflict of interest policy of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (http://www.nationalacademies.org/coi) prohibits the appointment of an individual to a committee authoring a Consensus Study Report if the individual has a conflict of interest that is relevant to the task to be performed. An exception to this prohibition is permitted if the National Academies determines that the conflict is unavoidable and the conflict is publicly disclosed. A determination of a conflict of interest for an individual is not an assessment of that individual's actual behavior or character or ability to act objectively despite the conflicting interest.

Makini Byron has a conflict of interest in relation to her service on the Committee on Assessing Carbon Utilization Infrastructure, Markets, and Research and Development because of her employment at Linde, an industrial gas company that separates and purifies CO2 and sells it to other companies for conversion into valuable products. The National Academies has concluded that the committee must include a member with current industry experience in managing the link between the commercial sources of the carbon dioxide – including the processes for capturing the carbon dioxide and the costs and quality of the carbon dioxide obtained – and the current and emerging markets for this carbon dioxide, including the quality requirements, cost requirements, and the potential quantities that might be utilized. As described in her biographical summary, Ms. Byron has extensive industry experience in understanding innovation and costs of carbon dioxide capture and the use of this carbon dioxide in products. Ms. Byron has managed or participated in several DOE-funded projects for both the commercial engineering design and the scale-up demonstration of Linde's carbon capture technology developed with BASF. Her project-based knowledge also extends to biological conversion of CO2 to valuable products, mineralization of CO2 to cementitious material, as well as the application of supercritical CO2 for lubrication and cooling. The National Academies has determined that the experience and expertise of Ms. Byron is needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it has been established. The National Academies could not find another available individual with the equivalent expertise and breadth of experience who does not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies has concluded that the conflict is unavoidable. The National Academies believes that Ms. Byron can serve effectively as a member of the committee, and the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the study.

At the start of the study, Dr. Stephen Comello had a conflict of interest in relation to his service on Committee on Assessing Carbon Utilization Infrastructure, Markets, and Research and Development because of his technical consulting with Carbon Direct, a company that invests in carbon removal and utilization technologies, and his role as an external advisor to energy practice at the consulting firm Bain & Company. As of May 1, 2022, Dr. Comello has ended these consulting and advising relationships. The National Academies has concluded that, given the study’s focus on market opportunities for carbon dioxide-derived products and carbon utilization technologies, it is essential to have a committee member with current experience in financing methods, business models, and decision-making strategies that enable the development and deployment of clean energy technologies. As described in his biographical summary, Dr. Comello possesses a unique combination of technology and economic expertise. Dr. Comello integrates tools and approaches from engineering, finance, and systems analysis to develop methodologies for analyzing investments and innovations in low-carbon energy solutions. His expertise spans an array of business analytical skills, including environmental economics, decision analysis, lifecycle analysis, and techno-economic evaluation for advanced clean energy technologies. From his prior role as a technical adviser to Carbon Direct, Dr. Comello brings an understanding of the technological and organizational capabilities of start-up companies in carbon utilization, which is critical for addressing the committee’s task of determining how Federal agencies can support small business to further the development and deployment of carbon dioxide-based products. The National Academies has determined that the experience and expertise of Dr. Comello is needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it has been established. The National Academies could not find another available individual with the equivalent expertise and breadth of experience who does not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies has concluded that the conflict is unavoidable. The National Academies believes that Dr. Comello can serve effectively as a member of the committee, and the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the study.

Dr. Ah-Hyung (Alissa) Park has a conflict of interest in relation to her service on Committee on Assessing Carbon Utilization Infrastructure, Markets, and Research and Development because of her equity in the start-up company GreenOre CleanTech, LLC. Dr. Park is a co-founder of GreenOre, which focuses on carbon capture and process design, using carbon dioxide and other waste streams to generate valuable products. The National Academies has concluded that, given the rapidly accelerating developments in the science, engineering, and commercialization of carbon utilization technologies, it is essential to have a committee member with current experience in basic research activities and knowledge of the opportunities and processes for technology scale-up in this field. As described in her biographical summary, Dr. Park has an active research program spanning many topics relevant to the study, including CO2 mineralization, materials for CO2 capture and gas separations, chemical CO2 conversion, and clean hydrogen production. In addition to her experience as an expert and leader in carbon capture and utilization research, her experience with GreenOre translating academic research into a start-up company makes her expertise a critical addition to this committee. The National Academies has determined that the experience and expertise of Dr. Park is needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it has been established. The National Academies could not find another available individual with the equivalent expertise and breadth of experience who does not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies has concluded that the conflict is unavoidable. The National Academies believes that Dr. Park can serve effectively as a member of the committee, and the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the study.

Dr. Joseph Powell has a conflict of interest in relation to his service on Committee on Assessing Carbon Utilization Infrastructure, Markets, and Research and Development because of his stock in Royal Dutch Shell, plc. The National Academies has concluded that the committee must include a member with recent experience and expertise in the chemical fuels industry with an understanding of the industrial and process engineering involved in producing such fuels and potentially adapting existing infrastructure for utilizing captured carbon dioxide in products. As described in his biographical summary, Dr. Powell has had extensive experience in development, scale-up, and commercialization of existing and new technologies. He also has industrial systems expertise that is vital to address the committee’s task of assessing infrastructure and R&D needs to support a future circular carbon economy. The National Academies has determined that the experience and expertise of Dr. Powell is needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it has been established. The National Academies could not find another available individual with the equivalent expertise and breadth of experience who does not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies has concluded that the conflict is unavoidable. The National Academies believes that Dr. Powell can serve effectively as a member of the committee, and the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the study.

Dr. Jenny Yang has a conflict of interest in relation to her service on Committee on Assessing Carbon Utilization Infrastructure, Markets, and Research and Development because of patent applications for carbon dioxide capture and utilization technologies.
The National Academies has concluded that it is essential to have a committee member with current experience in basic research activities for electrochemical carbon dioxide conversion, especially those relevant for commercialization. As described in her biographical summary, Dr. Yang has extensive research experience and publications in electrochemical and thermochemical carbon dioxide capture and utilization in academic and national laboratory settings, and currently leads a Department of Energy-funded center on recycling carbon dioxide into fuels, chemicals, and materials. Her experience patenting technologies derived from academic electrochemical research will bring valuable insights to this committee as it evaluates needs and challenges to commercialize electrochemical carbon dioxide utilization processes. The National Academies has determined that the experience and expertise of Dr. Yang is needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it has been established. The National Academies could not find another available individual with the equivalent expertise and breadth of experience who does not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies has concluded that the conflict is unavoidable. The National Academies believes that Dr. Yang can serve effectively as a member of the committee, and the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the study.

Dr. Joshua (Shuhua) Yuan has a conflict of interest in relation to his service on Committee on Assessing Carbon Utilization Infrastructure, Markets, and Research and Development because of his equity in the start-up company Renewuel, LLC. Dr. Yuan is a co-founder and director of Renewuel, which focuses on algae production using CO2. The National Academies has concluded that, to conduct an evaluation of barriers to commercializing biological carbon dioxide utilization processes, it is essential to have a committee member with current experience and knowledge translating research into commercially viable technologies for the unique infrastructure and scale-up requirements of biological-based systems. As his biographical summary makes clear, Dr. Yuan has extensive experience developing high yielding, commercially-relevant biological-based technologies, including pursuing commercialization of those technologies. His experience spans many stages of biological carbon capture and utilization, including basic science and engineering through applied technologies. The National Academies has determined that the experience and expertise of Dr. Yuan is needed for the committee to accomplish the task for which it has been established. The National Academies could not find another available individual with the equivalent expertise and breadth of experience who does not have a conflict of interest. Therefore, the National Academies has concluded that the conflict is unavoidable. The National Academies believes that Dr. Yuan can serve effectively as a member of the committee, and the committee can produce an objective report, taking into account the composition of the committee, the work to be performed, and the procedures to be followed in completing the study.

Committee Membership Roster Comments

Alayna Chuney resigned from the committee May 2022.
Emanuele Massetti resigned from the committee December 2022.
Jinggunag Chen, Benny Freeman, Sarah Jordaan, Simone H. Stewart, Jason Trembly, Jenny Yang, and Joshua Yuan were added to the committee January 2023.