The economics of biowaste conversion are fundamentally sound for three primary reasons:
#1: The supply side “feed stock” is a revenue source rather than a cost. Waste management companies are accustomed to paying Landfill “Tipping Fees” to dispose of food waste. If a biowaste processing plant charges equal or less per ton than a landfill and the plant is equal or less distance from population centers then the waste management companies have equal cost or save time and money. For context, imagine is a blue jean company was paid for its supply of cotton to make jeans rather than having to pay for the cotton.
#2: There are multiple revenue streams from the “Products” generated from biowaste conversion. Here are examples of some of the key products from Hydrothermal Carbonization (HTC):
Construction materials such as sand for concrete and asphalt
Fertilizers for agriculture
Carbon (CO2e) Credits
Carbon Tax Incentives from the IRS
Renewable non-intermittent energy
#3: The energy used to convert the biowaste is significantly less than the combined revenue from the Tipping Fees and the Products generated from the process.
Within the growing clean-technology and sustainability marketplace, these three factors, highlighted above, create a win-win for the economy and the environment.