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#16 Rafik Kheffache – Using Solar Power To Make Construction Materials
Jordan sits down with Rafik Kheffache, founder of Heliosand (https://heliosand.com/), a French start-up using concentrated solar power to transform industrial waste into usable construction materials.
Rafik explains how his team is building massive solar furnaces capable of reaching 4,000°C to melt mud and toxic waste into glass-like rock, and why this breakthrough could disrupt cement production—the most carbon-intensive industry on Earth.
Follow Rafik on X: @KheffacheR62805
Follow Jordan on X: @jrwolfe
Links to Learn More:
Heliosand: https://heliosand.com/
Reach out to Rafik on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafik-kheffache-4a32a08b/
Resources:
📖 Michael Faraday: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Faraday
🎧 Recent Podcast: Joe Rogan Experience w/ Elon Musk (on Tesla): https://youtu.be/sSOxPJD-VNo?si=uZormfJir3FR9S1E
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:14 What Is Concentrated Solar Power?
04:09 Difference Between CSP and Traditional Solar Panels
07:23 Challenges With Centralized Production
09:32 The Real Problem in Solar Industry
12:21 Rafik's Journey Into CSP
14:29 Artist Who Made a 3D Printer from Desert Sand
18:27 Heliosand: Melting Things With Solar Energy
22:35 Rafik Operates Right In The Middle Of Trash, Waste, Construction
25:20 Corruption In The Waste Industry
27:01 Understanding the Waste Management Landscape
30:18 Innovative Solutions for Industrial Waste
34:33 Transforming Mud into Valuable Resources
39:03 Elon Musk And Ancient Theories
40:02 Heliosand Customers
43:36 Rafik’s Vision For The Future
46:58 Creating Market-Based Solutions for Circular Economy
49:09 Rafik’s Inspiration: Michael Faraday
50:07 Last Podcast Rafik Listened To
50:46 Where to Find Rafik
Subscribe to learn more about peoples and technologies working to change our systems of production.
- Join our newsletter: https://goingdirect.beehiiv.com
- Subscribe to Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3SjDliK or Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3EOYsqa
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goingdirect.substack.com
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By Jordan WolfeJordan sits down with Rafik Kheffache, founder of Heliosand (https://heliosand.com/), a French start-up using concentrated solar power to transform industrial waste into usable construction materials.
Rafik explains how his team is building massive solar furnaces capable of reaching 4,000°C to melt mud and toxic waste into glass-like rock, and why this breakthrough could disrupt cement production—the most carbon-intensive industry on Earth.
Follow Rafik on X: @KheffacheR62805
Follow Jordan on X: @jrwolfe
Links to Learn More:
Heliosand: https://heliosand.com/
Reach out to Rafik on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafik-kheffache-4a32a08b/
Resources:
📖 Michael Faraday: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Faraday
🎧 Recent Podcast: Joe Rogan Experience w/ Elon Musk (on Tesla): https://youtu.be/sSOxPJD-VNo?si=uZormfJir3FR9S1E
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:14 What Is Concentrated Solar Power?
04:09 Difference Between CSP and Traditional Solar Panels
07:23 Challenges With Centralized Production
09:32 The Real Problem in Solar Industry
12:21 Rafik's Journey Into CSP
14:29 Artist Who Made a 3D Printer from Desert Sand
18:27 Heliosand: Melting Things With Solar Energy
22:35 Rafik Operates Right In The Middle Of Trash, Waste, Construction
25:20 Corruption In The Waste Industry
27:01 Understanding the Waste Management Landscape
30:18 Innovative Solutions for Industrial Waste
34:33 Transforming Mud into Valuable Resources
39:03 Elon Musk And Ancient Theories
40:02 Heliosand Customers
43:36 Rafik’s Vision For The Future
46:58 Creating Market-Based Solutions for Circular Economy
49:09 Rafik’s Inspiration: Michael Faraday
50:07 Last Podcast Rafik Listened To
50:46 Where to Find Rafik
Subscribe to learn more about peoples and technologies working to change our systems of production.
- Join our newsletter: https://goingdirect.beehiiv.com
- Subscribe to Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3SjDliK or Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3EOYsqa
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goingdirect.substack.com