WASE

Idea

Introduction

Globally, 80% of wastewater is discharged untreated into the environment polluting the planet every day. At the same time, we generate 1.6 billion tonnes of food waste per year.

Food and Drink Manufacturers (FDM) are significant producers of wastewater and organic waste and have high energy demands. 99.2% of EU food and drink producers are small-medium enterprises that need versatile waste management solutions that are easy to operate and have low capital outlay.

With the increasing legislative and consumer pressure for sustainable produce combined with rising waste treatment costs and energy price fluctuations, manufacturers seek new ways to recover value from their waste.

WASE allows drinks, meat, bakery and dairy producers to turn their waste into renewable energy they can use onsite. We are working with some of the highest waste-producing and energy-intensive industries to turn them circular by unlocking the power of waste.

Substantial Accomplishments to Date

Since founding in 2017, we have made significant progress in creating the future of waste to energy using our patent-pending Electro-Methanogenis Reactors (EMR).

We have installed pilots worldwide, including in the UK, Italy and Kenya. In partnership with SNV in Kenya, we upgraded an anaerobic digestion system with our patent-pending electro-methanogenic technology and increased the site's energy production by 49%. During one of our trials treating brewery wastewater, our system removed over 90% of organics, turning it into renewable energy.

We generated early revenue upgrading existing anaerobic digestion systems to increase energy recovery in 2020. Going forward, we have secured additional commercial agreements and heads of terms contracts to deploy commercial trials at Forest Road Brewery in January and Hepworth Brewery in April/May 2022.

Monetisation strategy

The UK market is our initial focus to validate our product-market fit. We are starting in the brewery sector, with growth in the craft market. Breweries generate high volumes of wastewater that can produce up to 10 pints of wastewater per pint of beer.

We will be exploring other food and drinks sectors, including meat, dairy and baking. All produce high volumes of waste that are difficult to treat with anaerobic digestion due to fats, low pH, and high concentrations of antibiotics. EMR opens new waste streams to treatment by increasing stability, efficiency and energy recovery compared to traditional anaerobic digestion.

As we grow, we will expand into the EU, with over 290,000 SME food and drink manufacturers. We will also explore other international markets such as South East Asia through licensing agreements or distribution partnerships.

We have different pricing models to suit our customer's needs. They can buy and own units to get a return on investment in 3-5 years. Our customers can pay for a monthly monitoring & maintenance subscription to provide ongoing support. The software we are developing will provide continuous remote monitoring and system optimisation using our biosensing capabilities to maximise energy recovery and treatment efficiency. Additionally, customers can lease to get a system with no capital outlay and instant savings.

Use of proceeds

The proceeds will be to achieve 3 key goals:

1. Install commercial industriWASE Biocentre system with Hepworth Brewery

2. Progress sales pipeline (£1 million) to have £500k of confirmed sales/orders by July 2022

3. Finalise £2-4 million debt financing partnership to offer lease payment options to customers

4. Optimise our electro-methanogenic technology and integrate AI remote operation and biosensing capabilities (Grant Funded – under financial review)

We will be bringing on some new key staff members to increase our commercial and research activities. Vikki Bolam is joining as Commercial Director and has over 30 years of experience in international business.

We will hire a CFO (Part-time) to support future debt and equity investments financing strategies.

Additionally, a Head of Engineering with a background in bioprocesses and chemical engineering will lead the design and manufacture of our unique electro-methanogenesis process.

A Head of Research is coming to optimise our technology (Grant Funded – under financial review).