INDUSTRY FOCUS: CLEAN TECHNOLOGY

This month, the ever-energetic Arnold Schwarzenegger called for more urgent action around the global climate emergency. Speaking at an event in Austria, he said that lives depend on progress and advancement in the fight against climate crisis. His calls came after the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) announced last year that there was a

66% likelihood of the world breaking targeted 1.5°C temperature increases. Governments, countries, companies, and people have mostly heard the call of the scientific community and have put in place long-erm plans to make fundamental behavioural changes so that emissions, waste, and environmental impact can be minimised for the ongoing health of all.

But aligning the many players has been challenging and, even following the monumental Paris 2015 agreements where the world came together to agree on targets, there has been slow progress.

In London, on May 24-25, a new international clean tech conference will launch - a captivating event that promises to revolutionise the way we approach global challenges through innovation, spearheaded by the UK government and endorsed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Innovation Zero promises a vibrant atmosphere, captivating discussions, and remarkable individuals who are directing the movement towards a sustainable future, there is much enthusiasm about what could come from such a gathering.

2016 was the hottest on record when compared with pre-industrial levels. WMO has revised its expectations again, and is now 98% certain that

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Isn’t it time you switched to an alternative fuel?

The demand for alternative and renewable fuel sources continues to grow as governments put in place measures to combat climate change – and choosing which fuel to burn has now become an even bigger consideration.

WKE Ltd exists to enable large-scale energy users to significantly reduce their energy costs while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions and tackling the enormous amount of waste that ends up in landfill. Founded in 2019, WKE is backed by specialist private equity investor Gresham House.

Waste-to-pellet company WKE turns materials such as wood, paper, card and non-chlorinated plastics that are destined for landfill into alternative fuel primarily for power plants, cement kilns and steel manufacturers.

WKE’s solid improved recovered fuel (SIRF) pellets perform significantly better than coal and natural gas on carbon emissions, according to a report by management consultant and waste specialist Monksleigh. According to the findings, there are substantial benefits to using SIRF pellets, including that they perform two times better on CO2 emissions than natural gas, and three and a half times better than coal. The pellets are also significantly lower in cost than using coal and natural gas and WKE offers a biomass content of 50% as a minimum.

Ian Jones, CEO at WKE, said: “The results demonstrate that SIRF pellets work particularly well as a substitute to coal, including coking coal, pet coke and industrial coal, in cement kilns, coalfired power stations and steel manufacturing. As a substitute for natural gas, for example in brickmaking, there are also significant benefits.

“The report also shows that the carbon emissions produced in the manufacture of our pellets are considerably lower than sending waste directly to landfill.”

Global energy costs are rising, and Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed them up even more. Coupled with Britain’s net-zero ambitions and concerns around our reliance on foreign fossil fuels, there has been a redoubling of efforts to find homegrown greener and cheaper sources.

Jones said: “We’ve seen a significant spike in interest in our SIRF pellets recently, as people wake up to the issues surrounding energy security and look to boost their green credentials.

Another key benefit of our SIRF pellets is that they’re cheaper than coal and gas, as well as being cleaner and greener.

In 2022, WKE began commissioning of the UK’s largest waste pelleting plant, designed to deliver 250k tons per year, in Middlesbrough. WKE has commissioned a bespoke container solution (WWTec SiloadmaX) to load pellets from the plant onto shipping containers and are in the process of loading 25 tonnes of pellets headed for European customers for trials.

WKE will also able to offer bulk shipments of 8,000 tonnes of pellets to international customers by Q4 this year. Two nonEuropean customers are already lined up.

For smaller deliveries, WKE is now able to send pellets in one-tonne bags, mainly for UK customers. So, WKE now has solutions for all offtakers whether they are looking for small, medium or large shipments of SIRF pellets.

Jones continued: “This is an exciting year for us at WKE with pellets being produced and successful trials taking place across the UK and Europe.

“Our pellets offer considerable cost savings, significantly reduced carbon emissions and 50% minimum biomass content. Now is the time to consider alternative fuels as a serious contender to replace fossil fuels and our SIRF pellets can be part of that solution.”