Significant attention is directed toward reducing carbon emissions in the fight against global warming, but methane, although less abundant, poses a greater threat to the planet due to its superior heat-trapping capabilities. Eliminating methane is crucial to achieving global climate goals.
Methane is emitted from sources such as agriculture, landfills, and oil production. While some companies focus on reducing these emissions, others are developing methods to capture and remove methane as it is produced. Windfall Bio, a California-based startup, has pioneered an innovative approach that, while unconventional, may significantly contribute to cleaning up the atmosphere.
Windfall Bio utilizes methane-eating microbes, known as “mems.” These naturally occurring microorganisms, found in soil and wetlands, consume methane as a food source and convert it into fertilizer. Windfall Bio provides these microbes to entities that have access to methane, enabling them to capture the gas and produce valuable fertilizer.
“Our customers can be farmers, particularly dairy farmers with access to methane from livestock, or companies in the oil and gas sector dealing with waste methane from daily operations,” said Josh Silverman, CEO of Windfall Bio. “We also work with landfills and waste management facilities.”
Farmers can use the resulting fertilizer themselves, while oil producers and landfills have the option to sell it back to Windfall Bio, creating a financial incentive for methane capture.
The production of traditional fertilizers is energy-intensive and generates significant carbon emissions, especially in the creation of ammonia-based fertilizers. Windfall’s microbe-based approach offers a cleaner, more sustainable alternative.
Windfall Bio has spent a decade researching the use of these microbes and began offering the technology to clients two years ago. The demand has exceeded expectations, with customers now on nearly every continent. Windfall Bio plans to expand its reach, including a pilot program with Whole Foods Market dairy suppliers to reduce methane emissions and enhance the climate-friendly credentials of their products.
Backed by investors such as Cavallo Ventures, Prelude Ventures, Amazon Climate Pledge Fund, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, and Mayfield, Windfall Bio has raised $37 million to date, positioning itself as a leader in the methane capture industry.
