# Andrew Jones

> Andrew Jones is the co-founder and CEO of Carba, a Minneapolis-based carbon-removal startup that turns waste biomass into a durable, charcoal-like biocarbon and buries it to lock away CO2 for more than 1,000 years. A chemical engineer with a PhD from UC Berkeley, Jones invented Carba's patented low-energy pyrolysis and storage process and describes the work as 'reversing the coal mining process.' He previously founded and exited Activated Research Company, and has steered Carba from a 2021 lab idea to a working molten-salt reactor at a Burnsville landfill, a multi-year carbon-credit deal with Microsoft, and a goal of removing a gigaton of CO2 a year.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Carba
- **Organizations:** Carba, Activated Research Company (former)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, B.C.E. '09 and B.S. '10, graduated summa cum laude, University of Minnesota
- **Known for:** Invented Carba's patented low-energy autothermal pyrolysis and permanent carbon-storage technology, Carba's methodology certified by Isometric for 1,000+ years of carbon storage durability, Signed a 5-year, 44,000-ton carbon-removal credit deal with Microsoft

## Career timeline

- **2005** — Meets future co-founder Paul Dauenhauer as a student researcher at the University of Minnesota
- **2010** — Graduates summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota; later earns a PhD in Chemical Engineering at UC Berkeley
- **pre-2021** — Founds Activated Research Company (ARC), later exited via IP sale to Shimadzu Corporation of Japan
- **2021** — Co-founds Carba with Paul Dauenhauer to permanently remove CO2 by converting plant waste to solid carbon
- **2023** — Carba wins the MN Cup Grand Prize and the MPCA Green and Sustainable Chemistry Prize; Jones receives the Neil Armstrong Award of Excellence
- **2024** — Signs a 5-year, 44,000-ton carbon-removal credit agreement with Microsoft
- **2025-12** — Installs first-of-its-kind molten salt reactor at Waste Management's Burnsville landfill; closes a $6M round

## Achievements

- Invented Carba's patented low-energy autothermal pyrolysis and permanent carbon-storage technology
- Carba's methodology certified by Isometric for 1,000+ years of carbon storage durability
- Signed a 5-year, 44,000-ton carbon-removal credit deal with Microsoft
- Won the 2023 MN Cup Grand Prize ($50,000)
- Won the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's 2023 Green and Sustainable Chemistry Prize
- Received the 2023 Neil Armstrong Award of Excellence and multiple R&D 100 Awards
- Previously founded and exited Activated Research Company via IP sale to Shimadzu Corporation
- Secured a $7 million Department of Energy Carbon Negative Shot pilot grant for Carba

## Latest updates

- **2025-12** — Carba installed a first-of-its-kind molten salt reactor at the Burnsville landfill, capable of processing ~10,000 tons of biomass a year, with three more reactors planned on site.
- **2025-12** — Closed a $6M investment round including Demos and Groove Capital, plus backing from Minnesota's Climate Innovation Finance Authority.
- **2024** — Signed a 5-year agreement with Microsoft for 44,000 tons of carbon removal credits, with biochar used as alternate daily cover in landfills.

## Links

- Website: https://carba.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewjamesjonesphd

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/andrew-jones
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-25