Elbow Beach Capital, a decarbonisation, sustainability, and social impact investor, announced its investment in WASE. Following the conclusion of WASE's oversubscribed Seedrs campaign, the initial investment of £400,000 will be followed by a second investment of £300,000
"We are excited to embark on this journey with Elbow Beach on board so that we can harness the power of waste to make it the fuel of the future," said Dr. Thomas Fudge, CEO of WASE.
WASE has raised more than £1 million thanks to additional funding from the European Union's Climate-KIC investment support programme Found by Us, Funded by You and the Science Angel Syndicate.
Growing Waste- Rising Concern
Water is one of the most valuable resources, but it is constantly under threat from climate change and the resulting droughts, as well as rapid population growth and waste. As a result, water scarcity has emerged as a modern critical issue in today's world. Concerns about sustainable water management practices have arisen as a result of increasing scarcity and rapid population growth in urban areas.
The current urban wastewater management system is a disposal-based linear treatment system. Over 80% of wastewater in the world is untreated and discharged into the environment. Every day, that's the equivalent of two million Olympic-sized swimming pools of wastewater polluting land and waterways. This traditional system must be transformed into a long-term, closed-loop urban wastewater management system based on water conservation and nutrient resources.
Food waste is a major environmental and social concern, and its impact is likely to worsen as the world's population grows. During the processing of food products in the agri-food chain, large amounts of by-products and waste are generated, the disposal of which has negative environmental and economic consequences.
As a result, it has become necessary to implement sustainable food systems that ensure nutrition, health, and food safety without jeopardizing future generations' economic, social, and environmental circumstances.
WASE’s Waste Conversion Tech
You've probably heard of anaerobic digestion, which uses bacteria to break down organic waste and produce biogas. WASE's technology combines anaerobic digestion's biological reactions with bio-electrochemical processes to treat waste more efficiently, using Electro-Methanogenic Reactors (EMRs).
EMRs are part of a new category of waste-to-energy technology known as Bio-Electrochemical Systems. Electrodes are used in bio-electrochemical systems to improve biological processes by utilizing electrically active microorganisms. EMRs can accelerate waste breakdown and bioenergy production by combining these two processes. The increased digestion rate can be up to ten times faster than anaerobic digestion, allowing for smaller and more compact waste-to-energy systems.
WASE's systems, which use its proprietary electro-methanogenic process, will allow food and beverage manufacturers to treat their wastewater and unavoidable food waste while also producing renewable energy on-site, meeting up to 90% of their energy needs.
There is a widespread belief that WASE's circular waste management approach makes EMR one of the most sustainable options for treating a wide range of waste streams. Bioelectrochemical systems are the way of the future, as they convert waste from a toxic burden to a sustainable source of energy and nutrients that can help communities thrive.
"We've been blown away by both WASE's technology and the expert team Thomas has assembled since day one." We are firm believers in greening up the industry from within, and WASE's technology is a prime example of this. "We look forward to collaborating with WASE to quickly commercialize this ground-breaking technology," said Jon Pollock, CEO of Elbow Beach Capital.
