Paul O’Connor is a seasoned innovator and entrepreneur, recognized for his pioneering work in renewables, bio and circular materials, and green fuels and chemicals. With over four decades of experience, his contributions to sustainable energy and environmental technology have left a lasting impact across the globe.
O’Connor began his career in the fossil fuel industry at Shell, where he specialized in cracking heavy oils into useful products, gaining valuable expertise in refining processes. Following his time at Shell, he joined Akzo Nobel Catalysts. His work there centered on developing catalyst technology to improve key refinery processes, particularly Catalytic Cracking and Hydroprocessing, at a time when the industry was beginning to acknowledge the need for cleaner fuels due to growing environmental awareness in the 1980s.
In 2005, O’Connor shifted his focus to sustainable energy, founding BIOeCON, his first start-up. The goal of BIOeCON was to develop smart catalytic technologies for converting waste biomass into fuels and chemicals, marking his entrance into the bioenergy space. This venture became the foundation for his later work in green technology. Over the years, O’Connor has co-founded several other ventures, including KiOR, ANTECY, and CELLiCON, all aimed at developing solutions for cleaner energy and sustainable materials.
In 2018, CELLiCON acquired BIOeCON’s technology for separating cellulose from biomass and textile waste, enabling the upcycling of these materials into high-quality nano-cellulose structured materials. The following year, in 2019, Climeworks acquired ANTECY’s innovative non-amine based sorbent material technology for CO2 capture and conversion, highlighting O’Connor’s significant contributions to the growing field of carbon dioxide removal technologies.
Currently, O’Connor serves as the Founding Director of YERRAWA, where his focus has shifted to the catalytic carbonization of hydrocarbons, biomass, and plastic wastes. His work at YERRAWA involves converting organic materials into solid carbon and hydrogen, producing valuable green products without emitting greenhouse gases such as CO2, CH4, and NOx.
Throughout his career, O’Connor’s work has been global. He holds numerous patents and continues to be a key figure in sustainable energy innovation, acting as a speaker and consultant on innovation and research & development (R&D). His extensive experience and cutting-edge approaches have made him a driving force in the quest for a more sustainable and circular economy.
