Pioneering the future of waste-to-energy: Why we invested in WASE
In our ongoing quest to support innovations that drive the transition towards a sustainable and decarbonised world, Extantia is thrilled to announce that we have led WASE’s seed round. We are joined on the journey by strong partners including Engie, Hitachi Ventures, WEPA Ventures, and Elbow Beach Capital. This Bristol-based startup is reshaping the energy landscape by providing a decentralised waste-to-energy solution that is poised to revolutionise the wastewater treatment and anaerobic digestion (AD) sectors.
The problems: We need more sources of renewable baseload power as well as affordable, decentralised waste treatment solutions
The quest for renewable baseload power is underscored by the stark reality that global energy generation, responsible for more than half of all greenhouse gas emissions (36.3 Gt CO2e in 2021), faces the challenge of maintaining constant power supply amidst growing demands. The inherent intermittency of renewable energy sources like wind and solar, though critical to decarbonisation efforts, fails to offer the reliable, 24/7 power required by modern grids. This gap in energy provision highlights a crucial problem: the necessity of developing renewable alternatives capable of providing consistent baseload power to replace carbon-intensive, fossil-based sources, thereby addressing the urgent need to reduce the sector’s substantial greenhouse gas contributions.
On the waste management front, the scale of the problem is equally daunting. The treatment of wastewater and organic waste is fraught with inefficiencies and environmental hazards. With 80% of wastewater released untreated globally, the sector contributes significantly to pollution and accounts for 5% of worldwide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In the European Union alone, nearly 59 Mt of food waste generates 252 Mt CO2e annually, emphasising the sector’s impact on climate change. The lack of affordable, decentralised waste treatment solutions amplifies these problems, underscoring the need for innovative approaches to waste management that can reduce emissions, improve sustainability, and support the transition towards a circular economy where waste is seen as a resource rather than a liability.
The solution: A waste management solution that maximises energy extraction from biomass
WASE’s proprietary technology, the Electro-Methanogenic Reactor (EMR), is a game-changer in biomethane production and wastewater treatment arenas by maximising the amount of energy that can be extracted from biomass. The EMR is a bio-electrochemical system, in which electrodes are coated with microorganisms, acting as a biocatalyst, which are in turn electrically stimulated to improve their performance. The EMR helps to solve renewables’ intermittency problem by enabling higher recovery rates of biomethane or renewable natural gas (RNG) from waste sources. Biomethane can be injected directly into existing natural gas networks and provides a clean alternative for baseload power generation. WASE’s EMR technology has significant performance improvements relative to conventional AD, with numerous benefits:
- Improved waste breakdown rate with 90–95% chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal. This leads to a higher biogas yield with minimal sludge production.
- Improved methane formation rate, which leads to >30% increase in methane concentration in the biogas with expectations to achieve biogas with a methane content of up to 90% as the technology matures.
- Shortens waste treatment time by 3–10x.
- 50–70% smaller than traditional AD infrastructure
In the wastewater application, WASE enables the valorisation of organic material contained in the wastewater by turning it into biogas and biomethane. Currently, the extent to which this organic material is valorised is limited due to high process costs. WASE’s onsite low-cost treatment for industrial companies provides an opportunity to tap into the waste’s value by converting the organic material at the point of use. This can then serve as a decentralised source of heat and power. The technology can mitigate up to 90% of GHG emissions at the downstream utility; and by treating at the point source, the water can be reused onsite for applications that require lower-quality water (such as cooling towers, boilers and washing).
In addition, WASE offers a plug-and-play solution. This coupled with its modular and customisable design, enables easy integration into existing infrastructures, offering a scalable and cost-effective approach to renewable energy production and wastewater treatment.
WASE is EPIC: How the carbon math adds up
The construction and annual operation of a standard WASE unit results in carbon emissions of just under 33 tonnes of CO2e, whereas it saves over 100 tonnes of CO2e annually, showcasing a net positive emissions impact with a remarkably quick carbon payback period of under one year. For the broader impact estimation towards 2050, we have focused our efforts on the impacts in the wastewater treatment market. With our Extantia projected impact calculations (EPIC) we generally assume that a company can capture up to 20% of a market. However, given the enormous size of the wastewater market and the difference in waste streams, as well as getting to an accurate and fair impact projection, we placed some extra restrictions on potential market capture for WASE. We assumed that only 20% of the wastewater market would be applicable to WASE’s technology and that it can capture 20% of that specific market, thereby applying a double-discount. Even with this conservative approach, we still see an enormous impact potential and WASE meets our carbon savings mandate of 100 Mt CO2e per year 2050.
Our calculations did not take into account the additional impact of retrieving higher rates of methane from anaerobic digestion and the resulting increase in renewable energy sources, which will add more emissions savings in practice. We think their cutting-edge technology, the know-how they have built in commercialising their wastewater solutions, their existing supplier relationships, and their capital-efficient approach position them well ahead of competitors in this space. We’re delighted to support Thomas and his team on their journey to scale waste-to-energy technology and maximise biogas potential as a renewable baseload energy source!
