Capturing the Future: Carbon Careers

Are you interested in helping companies reduce their carbon emissions? Are you passionate about solving complex problems in business and technology? Learn more about a career in carbon capture and storage (CCS). Join our guest Mansi Dhaundiya, technical and policy analyst at the International CCS Knowledge Center, as she shares her career journey from chemical engineering to CCS expert.

Don’t miss the latest episode of The Best Careers You Never Knew Existed podcast to learn more about how you can contribute to the cutting-edge technologies and policies driving this essential climate change solution as a sustainability professional in the CCS field. 

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Transcript

ANNCR: [00:00:00] The Best Careers You Never Knew Existed Podcast's Energy Series, brought to you by SAIT, the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. This podcast serves as your guide to careers in Alberta's landscape. In this season, we're focusing on the energy sector. Join us for conversations with experts, leaders, and individuals who have insights into Alberta's evolving energy industry. 

Together, we'll discover invaluable insights to help you chart a path toward a brand-new career.  

LORA: Hi, I'm Lora from the Continuing Education and Professional Studies Department at SAIT.  

PAT: Hi, my name is Pat Hufnagel-Smith, and my company's name is Creative Links.  

LORA: Welcome to The Best Careers You'd Ever Knew Existed. 

In this episode, we're thrilled to have Mansi Godambri Dhaundiyal with us to delve into the world of carbon capture and storage.  

MANSI: Hi, I'm Mansi Godambri Dhaundiyal, I work as a technical and policy analyst at the International CCS Knowledge Center, and I'm new to Calgary. Can you share a fun fact? A fun fact about me is, um, that for, well, 18 years, I didn't have a surname legally, like, in my passport. 

I only had my first name, so it was just Mansi. And everywhere I had to, like, sign into a computer, I had to use Mansi Mansi. So, my student ID in university says, um, Mansi Mansi.  

LORA: So, you're like Cher?  

MANSI: Not really, you don't want to hear me sing, so but now Maybe later in the podcast. Maybe later. But now I have the longest name in my family, because I also got a middle name, so. Yeah. 

LORA:  You doubled down.  

MANSI: I doubled down, I did.  

PAT: Didn't know that about you. 

LORA: That's interesting. Can you, tell us a little bit about, you know, in a nutshell, what's carbon capture? 

MANSI: So, carbon capture is very simple. It's, uh, capturing CO2 from the atmosphere. So that can be directly from the air through direct air capture or also point source capture, which is usually beneficial for big emitting facilities like oil and gas companies and cement production companies who have a big amounts of emissions and for them, they just sort of attach something to their flue gas shaft and that cleans out the CO2, which goes on to further storage, so it's CCS, Carbon Capture and Storage. 

And it helps them meet their emission reduction goals. Everything you hear about companies saying that they want to reduce their CO2 emissions by 30%, 40%. CCS is one of the methods to do so. 

LORA: I know, uh, I ran across a company a few years ago, and they were actually capturing carbon from residential cars. 

buildings, and figuring out ways to repurpose that carbon and prototyping almost that small unit that could actually just like go on a regular building. So, it didn't need to be a huge facility. It was actually even just to someone's furnace and capturing that. So, I think it's interesting all the different applications that are being utilized now. 

MANSI: Yeah, no, there are, different levels, and I think right now, when you look at, like, carbon capture technologies, they are, some of them can be massive, and, like, capture million tons of CO2 per year, if, like, given the opportunity to have a plant, but there are many other technologies that specialize in small scale captures, and these things are very useful when it comes to, like, furnace or exhaust at small residential areas, commercial areas. 

LORA: So, what is your job relative to the carbon capture industry?  

MANSI: So, as an analyst, I usually work on doing research or what's out there in the market in terms of technologies and any new companies who are looking to reduce their emissions, how we can help them. Also, I have recently moved to the Knowledge Center. 

About three months ago, and also I am a policy analyst now, so I also work with, um, the regulations that are out there and sort of try to, um, summarize them and make them easier to understand for industry and the public because a lot of it is coming from tax money, so it's very important for the public to also understand, what initiatives the government is taking with the money. 

LORA: Correct me if I'm wrong, carbon capture is not a new technology. It's been around for a very long time. My understanding is that it's becoming better understood how to be economically viable and how to utilize the technology. So that need for policy and analysis relative to that is, is really critical. 

MANSI: Yes, that's right. It's been around for. Fairly long time, mostly as EOR, so Enhanced Oil Recovery. Now that is, like, it's used at oil and gas drilling sites to take out more oil from the reservoirs. And that also stores some of the CO2 underground. So that has been around for a while now, and that almost gives the companies a revenue. 

In like exchange of, you know, pump injecting CO2 underground because you get the oil and then you can go sell that and one of the biggest economic challenges right now with carbon capture and storage is that there isn't a fixed revenue at the end. You were sort of just capturing CO2 and you're storing it underground. 

And that's it. You know, really making money, there are incentives and credits in the market, but right now there hasn't been much transparency when it comes to what the price will be per ton of carbon and how that will be used. managed in the coming years.  

PAT: I guess that's why sometimes you hear the technology referred to as carbon capture, CCUS, carbon capture usage and storage because my understanding is they are trying to find what other uses are there beyond enhanced oil recovery or just storing it. 

Where, you know, there could be value in that carbon, just to, as to your point, make it a little bit more economically and, and feasible for companies if there was actually a commercial use for some of that carbon.  

MANSI: No, definitely. And, um, the use or utilization part of that, utilization is like the, fancier word for it. 

The utilization part of that does have multiple pathways. And that's honestly something that I'm really interested in. And you can make chemicals, you can make alternative fuels, you can store CO2 in cement and use that. There's so many like the carbon upcycling technologies has that as a solution and there's also other like existing pathways like urea in fertilizer companies. 

It's already being used. They're already to reuse the CO2 from their emissions. to create fertilizer. So, there are existing solutions when it comes to utilization, but again, it's also, I think, a problem of, again, like you said, like the economic viability of these things, because these are very energy intensive processes and some of these require like a whole new facility and yeah, sometimes it's tough to invest in. 

LORA: Tell us about you. What has your career path been leading you to this point you're working for the CCS Knowledge Center?  

MANSI: Yeah, well, so I did my bachelor's in chemical engineering from UBC in Vancouver. And in my last year of university, I learned about CCUS, and I was sort of like, this is it, like, this is what I want to do, because so far, and I think chemical engineering, it's pretty old curriculum, so it sort of becomes very mundane to a point, and CCUS, learning about that felt like it was, it was, you know, actually solving a problem that's out there. 

And once I started learning more about it, I learned that Calgary is the place to be. You want to work in CCUS, so I moved to Calgary, and I've only been around here for a year now. And I started out at a carbon capture and utilization startup, and it was great. You know, I got to learn about what the industry is really looking for when it comes to, you know, building a technology. 

What are the challenges? How do you make it so that it answers the questions that everybody's asking, but at the same time, it's sort of, you know, stays within that, again, the being feasible and actually becoming something. So, I did a lot of that's where I was the research engineering training and I did a lot of work in lab and um, also research and analyzing technologies that are already out there and how this startup can sort of be a competitor to them. After that, I sort of realized that I want to be in a more analyst role. Like, I enjoy researching and, bringing solutions to not just one technology, but maybe multiple technologies, something that helps different startups get an answer. 

And that's when I moved to Carbon Management Canada as a technology and, Business Analyst. And there, that's exactly what I was working on. I was working with startups, helping them conduct technology and economic assessments, and also doing some research for industry people to learn more about what options there are, like what technologies there are, how they can make it so that it's easier for them to meet their emission reduction goals. 

And then about, in June this year, I joined the Knowledge Center, and this, like, joining the Knowledge Center sort of helped me focus on a different side of things, which is policy side of everything, which I realized working at my last job that, that is one of the biggest issues that needs to be addressed right now, because every time you would meet a client and you would talk to them about, you know, there's this startup out there that could use your help, or like, this is how you can reduce your emissions, it always came down to like, oh, but the regulations, how do they help me as a big company sort of meet those goals? 

And so that's what, that's how I ended up at the Knowledge Center where I was like, I, this is something that I want to play a role in, sort of, um, help everyone understand and also learn from myself, maybe.  

LORA: It sounds like an opportunity to make a huge difference in the industry. So Pat's been working with, or has worked with, our team at SAIT developing, um, CCUS micro credentials, and I believe you took one of our courses, so can I just ask for, shamelessly, how that learning kind of factored into your journey? 

MANSI: So, I did the first course in that micro credential set, and I signed up for all of the ones afterwards, because I was like, I want to learn about all of these things and I liked how those credentials were focused around Alberta and someone who hasn't studied here or worked here before, like coming in to this province, I was able to understand like what everyone's really talking about and what are, what are the companies to go for, you know, what, what are the people to look for the last company I was at Carbon Management Canada and when Brianne is Also my boss here at the Knowledge Center now and she took my interview at CMC and I told her that I've done this course and she was like, I helped them create this course. 

And I was like, that's, yeah, I learned a whole lot from that. So, the SAIT micro gesture was very, very important for me to do because it just, I came here without having any knowledge of where I was going to work. And just, learning that, understanding those concepts and also having that clear, you know, definition of some very specific terminology to CCUS helps me, with my interviews and also adding those terms in my resumes and everything to secure a good job. 

LORA: Breanne's been a great partner and support for the programming that we've wanted to do, so we're, we're eternally grateful for everything that she's done. You must be doing something right to go from university, having that aha moment of this is what I want to do, and then working in the sector so quickly. 

Anything else you can maybe share in terms of what you think. I think were some of the kind of key and important factors or pieces that were in place that really kind of helped you get where you are now. Certainly, also will shamelessly plug the, uh, the intro to CCS course, but what other kinds of things do you think contributed to your success? 

MANSI: I think it was first I had that moment where I was like, this is where I want to work, but I knew almost nothing about that. And it was just. Reading and doing my own research and making sure that I knew things that were currently going on in the industry. Oh, also going to networking events. Like I think CCUS is a space where networking is gonna get you in. 

And, uh, going to all these events and somebody would be like, where do you want to work? And I would be like, Camera and Capture and Storage. And then I would tell them a whole lot. Everything that I've read, everything that I knew about it. And they'll be like, okay, she actually knows what she's talking about. 

So just doing my own research, knowing what I'm saying, and also, you know, staying up to date with the industry. And, yeah, that's what really got me through. And the SAIT course really helped with that because that was sort of the first thing that was like, okay, I need to learn about Alberta and not, you know, focus on BC right now, like, be in contact with everything that's going on here. 

PAT: So, you started out a couple of years ago, networking, you know, found your place. What's your sense of, you know, the opportunities in carbon capture and storage?  

MANSI: Well, I think there are plenty. Many opportunities in CCUS right now. It depends on what level you are. So, if you want, you want to get into this, um, space, if you're like a master's student and you're interested in, you know, developing something, actually working with the technologies, there are so many startups that are always looking for help. 

There is also, you can have, well, you can build your own technology that helps. That can be part of the CCUS, and if you are someone who is transitioning into this role, then it's a very on the job learning, and most of the skills required in this field are very similar to oil and gas or other, any other industries, really, because all these industries are looking to do CCS, all of them are looking to do carbon capture and storage, and the more knowledge that people can bring in from different industries helps them solve problems because one thing with CCS is that it's not the same for everyone like it's the technology is not going to be the same for a Chemical plant and a cement plant because they have different emissions and they have different like flue gas composition So it really depends. 

It's someone who understands these differences who knows what you know goes on at a cement plant, can really answer to a technology provider, a capture technology provider and be like, see, like, these are, you know, the impurities that are going to be in the flue gas, and this is how, you We want your this is how well we want technology to work. 

So, it really isn't anything specific to CCUS But mostly just the broader range of knowledge that we can bring into this space I think the better it will be in the future.  

PAT: That's really interesting because I think sometimes people feel like if they need to to be part of the climate solution, they have to go work for a clean tech company or a renewable energy company. 

And what I hear you saying is, working with the industries that want to change and decarbonize, there's value in having that domain knowledge to help the industry apply technologies like carbon capture and storage.  

MANSI: CCS is like, comes under decarbonization. When you talk about decarbonization, then there's like, using hydrogen and like, electrification and cutting emissions by just improving your, you know, equipment’s and efficiency at SAIT. 

So, someone who understands one industry and who understands how that happens can really help. bring in different solutions. This becomes very engineering and science focused, I understand, but there's also like a whole business side to things. Because one of the challenges for CCUS is also making a business case out of it. 

Like we talked about the economics of all of this, so there's a huge opportunity for people who are focused on business, who are more, you know, passionate about helping companies make money. And also, a whole other like policy side, which I'm just starting in.  

LORA: So, what I'm hearing is that you're seeing a number of roles emerging from the business of CCUS, Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage, that are possibly things that we don't even realize are opportunities yet. 

MANSI: Yeah, and I think it's, I mean, to be part of CCUS, I don't think you have to work for like the Knowledge Center or something that's similar to the Knowledge Center. There are so many companies, smaller companies, which work with, like, Shell, or all the big ones. Um, Shell just announced another facility that's coming up, and like, someone's going to be doing that for them. 

So, you have to find out who that will be, and, you know, what sort of roles they're looking for. And also, there's a huge scope for working at a startup, which that's how I started out, and I felt like that was one of the best experiences.  

LORA: Well, in all different parts of the business, right? You know, in a startup. So you mentioned as part of your journey, you did a lot of networking and went to events and really took time to learn, but also kind of build your network. Can you tell us a little bit more about how you did that? And, you know, coming from BC, how did you even? You know, get into that sort of networking arena, so to speak. 

MANSI: Again, I didn't target, like, specific CCUS events. I think I just, I just went to, like, whichever courier event there was, because that's the best part about being in this city. Like, everyone is looking for, You know, some environmentally passionate people to join their network and help them build, you know, the whole ESG side of their business. 

So, I how I found these events was really going on LinkedIn and being like, where is the next career event? Like what's the next jobs event? And also,through Pat, she, she, um, she held a big bunch of networking events, which I was a part of. And that's how. I met Brianne in the first place. 

LORA: Pat does a lot of great networking events for people that are looking to get into the energy industry. We can, we can put those in the resources. What do you think were your biggest challenges or barriers?  

MANSI: I think one of the biggest challenges was really working in this space. It's a very learning on the job kind of field, and I've really just had to, you know, first, I mean, I haven't been working for that long. 

It's only been a year so far, but the first couple of months when I started out, I've really had to be like, okay, this isn't like what I studied in school because it's not really, you know, you have this equation and you have these values and sort of just put them in and work, you have to have a very creative approach to most of the problems at hand. 

So, even at my current job, they're like, Oh, can you make a risk matrix for this? And I've worked with risk matrix before, but you're not looking at them from an operation side of things, which is how you learn at university. You're looking at them from more of like a strategic point of view, and that's completely different that they don't teach you at uni. So you have to go as you get.  

LORA: What excites you most about the work you're doing now?  

MANSI: Oh, well, what excites me most is that I have a feeling that I'm going to stay in this role for a long time, you know, because this, this isn't going to get solved in a day or two. I think one of the things in uni was that I was looking for a creative, like, outlet, like, you know, for my job. 

I didn't want to be in a chemical engineering training role. I did want to more, um, like, on the business side of things, more on, like, that, again, that whole creative outlook on stuff, that's what really excites me about my job. Not every problem has the same solution. I get to be creative with stuff that I do, and everyone is very acceptable, I think, of, you know, your input. It isn't new, like we said before, but also, it's sort of new.  

LORA: I think the energy industry sometimes gets pigeonholed as being a little static or stoic or, I don't know what the right word is, and I don't think there's as much appreciation for how creative the industry is overall as there could be and it sounds like you're really experiencing that creative innovation part of the energy industry that I think we've seen over the years but is probably less celebrated or less well known about. 

MANSI: Again, I think this also comes from how You learn about these roles, you know, when you're studying, and I didn't know about this kind of job until the very end of my degree. And it does take that effort. I think like students have to make that effort themselves to see what kind of options there are out for them. And if you know, look long enough, you're going to find something like this. Yeah.  

PAT: I know your career has been relatively short, but is there anything that in the work that you've done that, you know, really makes you proud that you feel like you've had some, some impact?  

MANSI: Personally, what I'm most proud of is I think how far I've come, like, how much I know it today. I think that's my biggest achievement. That's also my goal, kind of short term, that to keep learning. And I think that's something that this space really requires someone who's eager to learn, because it's, ever changing. There's going to be new technologies, there's going to be new problems out there, new things to deal with, and the CCUS space really looks for people who are, you know, ready to learn as they go. 

So, I'm happy with myself that I know how much of where I know today, and that I'm also willing to stay in this role, however long I'm working.  

PAT: Sounds like there's a little risk taking there, too, in terms of, you know, trying things different, learning as you go along, because sometimes that in itself is a unique approach to careers. 

LORA: What advice would you give others that are looking for careers, say, in the sustainability field?  

MANSI: I would say network, you never know what job might be out there for you, what new role might be there, and also on your own, learn about these things, stay up to date on like the news and keep reading what's happening at different companies. 

So, every time you do, you know, when you're at a networking event, you can be like, oh yeah, I read on the news like. This company's doing that, then that shows the person that, oh, this guy's genuinely interested to work in this field.  

LORA: Yeah, I think it sounds like as well, you were very focused. Like you had done your homework, you knew that you wanted to do something in CCUS, and then it made it very easy for you to target those companies where you would be a good fit and aligned to your, your passion and values. 

MANSI: That is true. I was, let's say, focused or stubborn. I don't know, but I was, I knew like CCUS is where I'm going to go. And there are many other options like nuclear and other alternative energy companies. There's hydrogen and there's so many things in ESG that you can, someone can pursue. So, it really depends on what excites you the most. 

I think it's very important to stay passionate. I say that as someone who's only worked for a year now, but you have to stay excited and happy about what you're doing. And I guess I hope that takes me a long way. 

LORA: That's very cool. What excites you the most about carbon capture technology or the future of what could be the future? 

MANSI: So, currently, I mean carbon capture is like the most commercial carbon capture technology and what excites me the most is that there are so many other technologies in the works or that are, you know, publicly known, which have a huge scope of making a difference in this field. And again, as I said before, like not every industry has the same flue gas, so they don't have the same solution when it comes to capture technologies. 

So, there are so many upcoming technologies that are focused around specific industries. They need that one push and you'll have a whole other second generation of technologies coming in. And, you know. With that, it just excites us. Not just me, everybody at work. We're looking for more new generation of carbon capture technologies to come in, which help us, you know, pitch to clients differently. 

Be like, hey, this is something that can work for you. And I think that's what the industry is also looking for. More promising solutions, you know. 

PAT: I think sometimes there's a fear of what we're doing to our climate and to our environment. Listening to you, Mansi, you know, there's a lot of confidence that there's all these solutions being generated and explored. 

Behind the scenes, it's refreshing to hear some optimism in terms of where we're headed around climate solutions.  

MANSI: But I will say, like, if you can, as an individual, reduce your emissions, that would be very helpful. We all play a role. There are so many actions that, as an individual, can positively impact, you know, your carbon footprint. 

LORA: Yeah, I mean, even just thinking about shopping at the grocery store and the types of packaging that you choose to purchase with your groceries, as an example. And that makes a big difference, how much you're actually bringing home and are you. taking your reusable bags or are you buying stuff that's already in plastic? 

So, to your point, there's a lot of different options that we can influence personally, for sure. Well, I feel like I've learned a lot. Thank you so much.  

MANSI Oh no, thank you for having me.  

PAT: You keep saying I've only worked for a year, but you've done a lot in a year.  

LORA: Yeah, like I just think about your career path since you've graduated in the last year and how much you've learned and done and you're now part of the industry, which is super, super cool. 

MANSI: it's very satisfying to know that I am here and now only my day to day work can make me go forward You know, I don't have to do like external work to stay in this but like just learning  

LORA: more and going on Are there other sustainability or energy trends that you're following in your spare time? 

MANSI: Well, I'm really interested in, um, hydrogen as using that as a fuel and also in, uh, the nuclear energy sector. Hydrogen is very interesting because so many companies are interested in it. I think there was one planned coming up in Edmonton somewhere. So, it's good to hear about these solutions coming up, but that also hydrogen has its own set of challenges. 

First thing being, not being a very easy gas to handle. that only calls for innovative solutions. I think there's nothing wrong with hearing about these new facilities coming up, especially in hydrogen, only calls for more innovative solutions in this field in terms of storage, in terms of production, and also hydrogen is very like energy intensive. 

So, you need cleaner fuel options and one of them is nuclear. So, there will come a time when all of these will go hand in hand, nuclear, hydrogen, CCUS, so all of these will build out to be one complete solution, and we're just kind of far off from that. It'll take some years.  

LORA: It's exciting to watch because I know we've been watching CCUS for You know, probably 15 years just wondering, you know, wondering when it's going to start to emerge and, you know, wondering when it's going to become more viable and it's fascinating to watch it like come into its own now and then with the conversation around a more integrated energy solution. 

MANSI: Just this year, there were like three projects announced, one being Shell and then Varma. And Gibson, and also Deep Sky, so there is a lot of momentum in this space here.  

LORA: And investment, which is good. Once the investment starts, then usually the skills and the people and the jobs follow, which is very exciting. 

PAT: So, what do you think, Lora?  

LORA: Well Pat, I think I was so inspired by how much Mansi has done in the last year and her dedication to, you know, really the industry and find solutions in the industry and taking what could be considered a more traditional career and really adapting that to, you know, solving the problems of energy, sustainability, and, you know, really being part of that instead of shying away from it. 

PAT: Absolutely. And all the effort she's put in in terms of self learning and networking and just staying on top of things and understanding where things are going, you know, that really builds not only the opportunity to get your foot in the door, but as she said, there's resiliency here because, you know, she's applied it to research and to technical analysis and policy analysis and it's just, I understood better sort of the whole scope of the opportunities within CCS.  

LORA: And I feel if Zach were here, Zach Novak, who's been a co host on several episodes of this podcast, talking about tech, who leads in careers in innovation and technology and really helps coach people to get, um, you know, to make those career pivots, he would be really inspired by Mansi as well, because what she did to really focus, build a network, you know, take accountability to kind of really understand and learn the industry, I think is a lot of the advice that he gives people in terms of how do you really Take your existing skill sets and then transition it into an area of focus that you really value and want to be in. 

PAT: Yes, you don't have young people working on this climate challenges and finding solutions. I just, I think that's the future where the industry is headed and with bright minds like Mansi, I think we're in good hands.  

LORA: So, thanks to our listeners for joining us again. Please check the resources. We'll include some of the organizations that we have mentioned. 

The Knowledge Center is a great resource for people wanting to learn more. We'll have some links to our courses. Some links to some of Pat's great events and her website for people that are looking to transition careers and everything else we mentioned.  

ANNCR: The Best Careers You Never Knew Existed Podcast. 

Powered by SAIT. Funded by the government of Alberta. Have a career suggestion or want to appear as a guest? Get in touch email careerspodcast@sait.ca or reach out directly to Lora Bucsis on LinkedIn. Rate and review this podcast. And you might find your review read on a future episode. Please subscribe to the Best Careers You Never Knew Existed wherever fine podcasts are downloaded the Best Careers You Never Knew Existed Podcast with Lora Bucsis and Pat Hufnagel-Smith. Produced by Terran Anthony Allen and Jenna Smith, executive produced by Lora Bucsis. Special thanks to SAIT Radio for their support and the use of their studios, and most of all, thank you for listening!