How does Boson Energy put into practice a circular economy approach?
“Boson Energy believes in sustainable business with a positive impact on society. You need to earn the trust of communities by building “In My Back Yard” solutions, or you will face “Not In My Back Yard” resistance. We have developed the next generation of small-scale solutions to convert a wide range of waste into clean power, heat and cooling for direct local use.
We have uniquely efficient and affordable solutions that reduce urban stress and profoundly change the way waste is handled. Our solutions support all 17 Sustainable Development Goals and are circular because we transform waste into a minimal volume of chemically stable construction material that can be safely used for all eternity. We call it a “first mile” solution because we deal with waste right where it happens — without creating problems for future generations. We are also “Industry 4.0” with Internet of Things and data-driven process control and predictive maintenance.”
In what type of projects are you involved?
“We are currently building a next-generation gasification plant for wood chips and wood waste in Göttingen. Being allowed into the city centre of one of Germany’s “greenest” cities shows that we are “In My Back Yard” capable. In full production, the plant will increase Stadtwerke Göttingen’s green district heat production from 30 to 65%. Our first project in Israel will divert almost 200,000 tons of recycling leftovers per year from a landfill 250km away. Our first UK project will eliminate 5 million truck kilometres of waste transportation per year. Our first US project will shorten time-to-destruction of medical waste from up to 8 weeks, down to less than 24 hours. These pro-jects are all game-changing in approach and profitable for our customer partners. They can be replicated both in these markets and globally.”
What are the upcoming challenges for your company?
“To scale. We are one of only 24 “new technologies” globally selected for the first round of “Environmental Technology Verification” by India’s National Mission for Clean Ganga. Proving our ability to contribute to the Ganges clean-up will support our further expansion into Asia and Africa. To get there, we work intensely with niche leaders, like SAB and TMT, here in Luxembourg and our large global OEM partners.”
What additional actions could Luxembourg take to help companies to turn waste into wealth?
“With some 70% of the world’s waste today being dumped, burnt or landfilled without any energy recovery, we are very far from the vision of a circular economy. Since China banned import of most “recycled” waste in January, it is very clear that Europe is far from that vision. We need to take the entire lifecycle footprint and cost of recycling into account. Luxembourg can continue to support product safety, health, and environment; and stimulate efficient circular solutions with further investments. We need to solve waste everywhere for our children to have a future on Earth!”