EXECUTIVE BIO
Antonio Pietri was born in the city of Valencia , Venezuela , and moved to the US aged 17 to attend the University of Tulsa . Having achieved his degree in chemical engineering , and then an MBA from the University of Houston , Antonio was determined to find a path into management . In 1993 he joined Setpoint , before its acquisition by Aspen Technology in 1996 , and went on to assume various managerial roles which took him to locations including Latin America , the UK , Singapore and Beijing . Having progressed into the AspenTech executive team , Antonio became President and CEO in 2013 .
beginning . In 2021 , AspenTech surveyed 186 companies in the energy , chemical and related industries , and found nearly half are considering investing in carbon capture projects .
Why has there been such an uptick in carbon capture , utilisation and storage projects ? Many companies are recognising the need to reduce emissions while maintaining productivity . As carbon capture systems become more efficient , the technology is increasingly seen as a viable approach to significantly reducing carbon footprint .
Carbon capture was , until recently , viewed as too expensive and inefficient to have a significant impact on reducing CO2 . In recent years , however , conditions have changed . Carbon credit deals have reduced the cost of removing CO2 from the air and storing it underground to less than US $ 100 per ton , while new innovations are allowing direct air capture systems to reduce emissions from industries like steel , cement , air transport and agriculture .
In addition , captured CO2 may prove to be a valuable resource . Already projects are under way in the UK to use captured CO2 to produce sustainable aviation fuel , and estimates have suggested that , globally , the annual value of captured CO2 could be more than US $ 50bn .
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