Can you share the story behind Alpha Cleantec? What inspired you to start this venture, and what problem are you aiming to solve with your technology?
Alpha Cleantec was established as an environmental technology provider with a vision to resolve a global contamination problem caused by human and industrial activity, especially in water and soil contamination and green biogas production.
Could you explain in detail how your sludge-to-biogas technology works? What are its key technical features and innovations that set it apart from other sludge pretreatment technologies?
Alpha Cleantec’s sludge treatment process unit (STP) is a fully automated, in-situ, partial chemical oxidation process for primary and secondary sludges. Sludge is pumped from the clarifiers to the STP unit and sprayed with an active solution consisting of two materials: super oxidation agent (SOA) and super oxidized Fenton (SOF). The SOA and SOF react to generate a high concentration of stable superoxide radicals (O₂-), which partially oxidizes the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of the sludge and contaminants, increasing the soluble COD (sCOD) of the sludge for further processing. The oxidized sludge can be pumped directly to an anaerobic digester, where the increased sCOD concentration increases biogas yields by up to 50% and reduces sludge disposal volumes by up to 20%. The process can be retrofitted to existing plants without interruption of the treatment processes, with the standard unit a plug-and-play solution sized at 6 x 2.4 x 2.4 meters, capable of treating 150 m³/day of sludge.
The global market for wastewater treatment and biogas is projected to grow significantly. How do you see Alpha Cleantec positioning itself in this expanding market? What are your growth projections for the next five years?
The company is growing with the first full-scale applications and projects in the EU countries. We expect to sell three units per year and revenue of 1.4M EUR this year and up to 17M EUR in 2028.
What are the measurable environmental benefits of your sludge-to-biogas technology? Can you provide data or case studies that highlight the positive impact of reducing waste and generating renewable energy?
Based on the operating beta site, the technology's benefits include a decrease of up to 200 tons/year of carbon dioxide for each facility, an increase of 520.000 m3/y of biogas, and a reduction of 680 tons/y of waste disposal for each facility.
How does your solution benefit different stakeholders, such as wastewater treatment plants, local communities, and industrial clients? What cost savings or efficiency improvements can they expect?
Our solution benefits include very low CAPEX, savings in OPEX, and increased wastewater plant profit due to generating more biogas, which may allow the wastewater plant to be disconnected from the grid. Moreover, generating an additional revenue stream—carbon credits for a decrease in carbon footprint.
Can you tell us about some of your key partnerships and pilot projects? How have these collaborations contributed to the development and validation of your technology?
We signed an agreement with a big association of wastewater plants in Italy and one of the biggest suppliers and contractors for wastewater plants in the DACH region.
What have been the main challenges Alpha Cleantec has faced in developing and commercializing your technology?
The biggest challenge is to convince the first adaptors to apply the new process.
What is your vision for the future of Alpha Cleantec? How do you plan to use the required investment to achieve your goals, and what kind of return on investment can potential investors expect?
Our vision is to install at least three units per year. We need the investment to increase the team and invest in new machinery. Currently, we have more projects than team members to treat potential customers. We expect to have an ROI in two years.
