What is pyrolysis?
Pyrolysis is the thermal degradation of organic material by the action of heat alone.

In other words, it involves heating material to quite high temperatures (about 600°C) without letting it react with any other material, whether that is air, steam or anything else. The products of pyrolysis are a hot fuel gas, and carbon char. Materials like metals, glass and other inerts pass through heated, but unchanged.

Pyrolysis needs a heat supply to be able to happen. The required supply is recycled from the high-temperature oxidation stage.

What is gasification?
Gasification is the conversion of solid organic material into a gaseous fuel, by partial oxidation. In other words, a mixture of air, steam, oxygen or flue gas is added, in small amounts to a solid fuel.

The partial oxidation of the fuel converts it into a fuel gas, mostly consisting of Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen.

The reaction occurs at slightly higher temperature than the pyrolysis, about 850-900 °C.

Gasification provides its own heat supply.

What is high-temperature oxidation?
Oxidation is the chemical term for the reaction that characterises burning or combustion. Oxygen combines with all types of Hyrocarbon material to convert it all to Carbon Dioxide and water vapour.

This process happens at even higher temperatures, 1100-1250°C.

Oxidation produces a huge excess of heat energy, which is utilised for process and energy requirements.

How does Ethos Energy’s technology differ from conventional incineration?
Our technology allows for a more controlled process than conventional incineration. Pollutants normally associated with incineration are either destroyed or not produced. As a result, the emissions from an Ethos Energy plant are comparatively very low.

The visual footprint of an Ethos Energy plant is typically much smaller than that of a standard incineration plant.

Conventional incinerators are not usually financially viable for under 200,000 tonnes per annum of waste. However, our technology offers cost-effective solutions for processing waste on a smaller scale.

Furthermore, an Ethos Energy plant has designed-in active redundancy. This means that in the unlikely event that one part of the plant fails, it is capable of continuing to process the waste as normal through the remainder of the plant. A conventional incinerator is a singe-line process and is not capable of this.

What types of waste can be processed?
An Ethos Energy plant is licensed to receive and treat 85% of the waste types described in the European Waste Catalogue, including commercial, industrial, clinical, and other hazardous wastes.

Is it a continuous process?
Yes, our process is fully continuous.

Is it a proven technology?
Yes. Ethos Energy’s original large-scale plant has been run successfully in Bristol since 2001. The first of our small-scale plants was due diligenced by the UK MoD for 2 years between 2006 & 2008.

Does the waste need to be pre-treated?
No pre-treatment is required, and we can operate successfully post-recycling residual waste.

Whilst is it not strictly necessary, the calorific value can be increased if the municipal solid waste is dried before being thermally processed. This will optimise energy output. Ethos Energy also offers a solution for this if required.

What is double-ROCs?
The Renewable Obligation Order dictates that a certain percentage of energy must be produced by renewable sources. The power produced by an Ethos Energy plant qualifies in the UK as renewable energy.

Companies who produce renewable energy will receive Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) which can be sold to other energy suppliers at a premium rate.

Double-ROCs is the highest level of ROC available. This offers operators a strong economic advantage over traditional technologies.

Do I require planning permission?
Our large-scale plants will require planning permission. However, our small-scale plants will not necessarily require this. This is dependant upon the current use and location of the site in question.

Do I require a license?
Yes. Our technology is goverened by Part A, Section 5.1, Chapter 5 of the Environment Permitting Regulations 2007. The scale and type of waste processed determines whether the Regulator is the EA or Local Authority.