Reportedly, 1.6 billion tonnes of food is wasted every year. Most of which ends up in landfill sites releasing methane into the atmosphere. This, coupled with water waste, only adds to the growing concern of climate change.
WASE, a UK-based startup unlocking the power of waste to make it the fuel for the future, has raised over £8.5 million in funding. This includes £2.4 million in non-dilutive funding as well. The round was led by Extantia Capital (invested in Microsure), with participation from Hitachi Ventures, WEPA Ventures, the family VC firm of the European multigenerational family business WEPA, and Engie New Ventures, the CVC arm of the global energy company Engie. Other investors include Elbow Beach Capital and Empirical Ventures.
The funding will enable WASE to scale operations, execute multi-million pounds of signed contracts and projects in their qualified pipeline, and build their product offering.
Unlocks power of waste
Founded by Thomas Fudge, William Gambier, and Llŷr Anwyl in 2017, WASE is dedicated to unlocking the potential of waste and transforming it into a renewable energy source for the future. With a focus on sustainability and circularity, WASE partners with industry pioneers to maximise environmental impact through innovative technology and collaborative efforts, fostering circular waste reuse and sustainable energy generation.
Proprietary technology
WASE’s proprietary Electro-Methanogenic Reactor (EMR) technology is versatile and maximises the amount of biogas produced from biomass in anaerobic digestion (AD) plants, as well as from organic matter in wastewater. Its units increase biomethane generation by 50% up to ten times faster. The tech also increases the methane content of biogas to more than 80% compared to conventional AD where methane contents of 50-60% are more typical.
WASE’s plug-and-play system fits into existing infrastructure and is also 50-70% smaller than what is currently available. The modular solution allows customisation, making it much easier for companies to deploy at their site, resulting in more energy production and lower costs in the long run.
The company already works with a number of food and beverage manufacturers such as Hepworth and St Peter’s Brewery to convert their wastewater into renewable energy.
“We want our technology to set a new standard in the waste treatment and energy sectors,
by not only optimising waste breakdown but by boosting methane production across the board”, said Thomas Fudge, Founder and CEO of WASE. “We’re seeing a future of Waste-to-Energy that maximises economic and environmental benefits for all players involved, andcwe aim to play a major part in this transition by becoming leaders in the biogas market.
Extantia and ENGIE, who deeply understand this sector, and all the investors supporting us
in this round, will be invaluable resources to help us achieve this.” Carlota Ochoa Neven Du Mont, Principal at Extantia, said: “We strongly believe that biogas and biomethane will soon be a key source of renewables and will make up a growing percentage of the energy mix. WASE’s approach doesn’t just increase biogas and biomethane yields from the AD process, making it more profitable and productive, it is reshaping the way industrial businesses are thinking about their resources. 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 positions them well ahead of competitors in this space – and we’re delighted to support them.”
“ENGIE has the ambition to develop 10 TWh per year of biomethane production capacity in
Europe by 2030. We want to accelerate the energy transition and strengthen Europe’s
sovereignty. This participation into WASE is a concrete step to deploy innovative technology
onto the market and to allow greater efficiency and competitiveness,” stated Camille
Bonenfant-Jeanneney, Managing Director of ENGIE Renewable Gases Europe.
