Frequently asked questions
Waste4ME provides innovative waste treatment solution, therefore we are often asked questions regarding our technology and company's activity. Hereby we collected the most frequent questions we receive from potentially interested parties. We hope that answers provided below will help to understand the product, services and options for cooperation with our company. If you did not find an answer to your question or want to receive detailed information on a particular topic, please, contact us directly.
Which products and services are offered by Waste4ME?
Waste4ME provides a waste treatment solution – Waste Energy Recycling (WER) unit - a mobile waste management pyrolysis technology, that uses a thermochemical process, to decompose various waste streams by heating them at a high temperature without the presence of oxygen. The output of this pyrolysis reaction is gas, oil or an electricity stream, depending on homogeneity of the waste input. Thanks to its mobile nature, WER allows to reduce electricity and gas boiler costs and partially - transport costs. Overall, we tackle waste where recycling is not feasible and we offer a green solution where waste disposal is an issue.
Another direction of our activity is providing of testing services at our plant in Moerdijk. For this purpose we conduct tests with various waste of our customers to prove the viability of our solution in each specific case, evaluate economic and technological benefits.
Waste4ME also provides Life cycle assessment (LCA) for the customers to help them understand where the environmental impacts of products and processes come from and helps to optimize them. Сonducting an LCA is also a legal requirement under LAP3 in order to justify one's choice of waste treatment technology. More about LCA you can read here.
Who is the customer of Waste4ME?
Waste4ME is a B2B company.
Waste4ME has few primary customers: the industrial companies which are in possession of waste (municipal solid waste, plastics, mixed waste) and are searching for the way to get rid of this waste in the environmentally protective way. We can accept this waste and convert it to energy or oils.
Also Waste4ME aims at the incineration plants which possess pre-treated waste which otherwise will be landfilled. Such residues still can be used for production of energy and oils. We are open for cooperation with communities, associations of households and municipalities who are searching for the waste treatment solution for the municipal solid waste processing.
One more focus of our activity is remote areas, islands, military camps which experience problems with waste transportation, its storage and where landfilling is an issue. We can provide “on site” solution for such areas to convert waste into electricity.
Is the technology proven?
Yes, we built a prototype – our WER unit - to proof feasibility, it is now located in Moerdijk, in Pyrolyse Proeftuin Zuid Holland (Pyrolysis testing ground). We are running tests with various types of waste to prove efficiency of the WER unit and its advantages comparing to other existing waste treatment methods. Several proven technologies are integrated to a complete system. We took technologies from biomass conversion and are evaluating the critical & changed parts and integrate it with known technologies. Currently we also work on the upgrading of the unit to be able to work with wider range of waste streams and receive output of a better quality.
What is the technology readiness level?
The technology is proven, qualified and accepted for the deployment.
What do we do with the waste?
Waste4ME uses pyrolysis to treat waste (for more information about pyrolysis, please see our infographic). Waste4ME follows two directions of waste treatment: waste-to-energy, plastic-to-oil. During waste-to-energy we process waste in order to receive gas which will be turned to electricity, applicable in the grid. This gas is also used in the WER unit to provide it with the energy. Plastic-to-oil method is applicable mostly for production of oil from plastics. In this case plastics are being broken down into oil in the range of naphtha to wax which later will be used for production of oil or new plastic goods. Both the methods are conducted by means of our WER unit, but reaction conditions, waste composition and output are different.
How can you decide if our testing service and/or technology is suitable for the waste you have?
You can contact Waste4ME with an explanation of your waste composition and your expectations. Our colleagues would be happy to help you to define if there is a match between your expectations and our products/services.
Can the WER unit accept all the waste?
No, it converts combustible waste at high temperatures into gas/oil. Some components are prohibited to treat in the WER unit due to their hazardousness or regulation. Only the large pieces of glass and metals must be separated as they may damage the system. Small pieces as tin cans are no issue.
How to calculate the amount of energy, gas, oil from the amount of waste?
In order to calculate this amount, we need following data: amount of waste (tons/year), type of waste stream (the composition of waste). We would like to draw your attention to the fact that the amount of energy or oil which may be received in the result of reaction is very material dependent.
You can also use our Business case calculator to define what you can produce with your waste stream and how quickly your investment in the WER unit will be paid back.
Is gas the same as natural gas or the same as propane?
No, the WER produces gas with different energy per cubic meter with natural gas and propane components.
Why is there a broad range of gas production?
Waste is a mixture of different materials with different energy contents & compositions. Therefore, output product will have different characteristics depending on the initial characteristics of the input stream. This results together with different generator efficiencies, technology setup options and environmental conditions in a broad range of potential savings. Gas storage reduces this.
Is there anything left after pyrolysis?
Yes, there are incombustible parts, and these cannot be turned into gas. Ash extraction is continuous or once an hour and ashes are around 5% of the total flow depending on the type of input material. The metals and minerals can be recovered. During the pyrolysis gases become oil. Condensed oil can be used by refineries or as a feedstock by manufacturers for the new products if the input quality of the waste was well.
How can you store output products?
Gas can be stored under pressure with additional compressor and storage tanks. LPG fraction can be stored under the right conditions. Oils can be stored in tanks or barrels.
Internal components require energy, so this will reduce the benefit, right?
That is true and the internal energy consumption is taken into account in the given reductions.
Is there any after-sale service provided?
We provide our customers maintenance services and remote support/monitoring. Where requested, Waste4ME can also provide business advice and LCA.