Converting waste into fuel and energy
Municipal waste, landfill gas and industrial residues contain valuable carbon and energy. Recovering these resources creates a domestic fuel supply and a productive alternative to disposal.
Annual fuel potential.
U.S. waste holds $130B+ in annual fuel potential
“Millions of tons of recoverable material which could be used are needlessly buried each year.”
— U.S. Congress, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, 1976
U.S. municipal waste only could “supply” a supertanker of fuel every day
~300M tons of municipal waste a year in the U.S. Agricultural, forestry and refinery residues expand the opportunity.
Proprietary technology
Purpose-built for landfill waste
We develop the full process, supported by our simulator and digital twin. Feedstock sensing informs real-time operating adjustments.
5 patent applications
Wholly owned IP.
Repeatable plant deployment
Standardized designs and suppliers bring the cost of each replica down. Multiple units share site infrastructure and operations. The digital twin supports plant design and continuous optimization.
Pilot in 2028
24,000 t/day capacity by 2035
Pilot plant
2 t/day
First facility
60 t/day
Fleet expansion
Ten 60 t/day units + one 200 t/day unit. 800 t/day combined capacity.
DME and SAF development. Additional feedstocks.
Standard 200 t/day units. Biomass and additional fuels.
First full year: 2030
Targeting $10B+ by 2040
Annual revenue targets for the first full year at planned capacity. First plant: special terms for the initial landfill partner.
An integrated process
for converting waste into fuel
Landfill waste and landfill gas
Agricultural, forestry and refinery residues
Real-time control
for variable waste feedstocks
AI-assisted feedstock analysis linked to our digital twin.
Analyze
Sensors characterize the composition of incoming waste loads.
Protect
Upstream removal of contaminants protects the synthesis catalyst.
Optimize
The digital twin sets steam, temperature and pressure for each feedstock.
Refine
Operating data updates the model to improve future process control.
First digital twin version completed in October 2026
Methanolis
A modular plant that makes methanol from landfill waste, 60 t/day. Revenue from tipping fees, methanol sales and fuel credits.
Methanol
Methanol is the simplest alcohol, CH3OH: one carbon, four hydrogens and one oxygen. It is a clear liquid at room temperature, so it can be pumped, stored and shipped in ordinary tanks.
Methanol trades on a world market every day. This is what every Methanolis plant makes first.
CH₃OH
Did you knowIn 2025, LNG and methanol together accounted for nearly 90% of the new ships ordered to run on alternative fuels.
Riviera Maritime Media, 2025, citing DNV
DME
Dimethyl ether is the simplest ether, made from methanol in one catalytic step. It liquefies under mild pressure, just like propane, so it moves in the same kind of tanks.
CH₃OCH₃
Did you knowChina was the first country to sell DME-blended LPG at scale, and Volvo Trucks has built DME-powered trucks for North America.
Transport Canada; Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 2014
Sustainable aviation fuel
Since July 2026, ASTM D7566 Annex 5 allows jet fuel made from methanol — a drop-in fuel that works in today's aircraft and airports. The same molecule a Methanolis plant makes, upgraded to fuel that flies.
Methanol-to-jet pathway
ASTM International, 2026; Fraunhofer ISE, 2026Did you knowThe ASTM approval covers the methanol-to-jet pathway, not a single company. The component is blended with at least 50% conventional jet fuel and used as a drop-in.
ASTM International, 2026
Energy for the plant itself
Both syngas and methanol can run engines and turbines, so a plant can power itself from the same waste stream.
Methanol first. DME and sustainable aviation fuel from the same plant, in development 2029–2031.
~300M tons of municipal waste
a year in the U.S.
Agricultural, forestry and refinery residues expand the opportunity. Here is what the U.S. throws away, what it contains and where it ends up.
Mostly carbon
Shares rounded to whole percent; the last bar is the remainder. Source: EPA, Facts and Figures about Materials, Waste and Recycling, 2018 data.
10 to 13 million Btu
A ton of household waste holds about 10 to 13 million Btu of energy.
U.S. EIA; U.S. DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office, 2019Unlike any other fuel, this ton arrives with a fee attached: a landfill is paid to take it. Our plant takes the same ton, keeps the tipping fee and turns the carbon into methanol.
Paid to bury it
Fifty years ago, Congress wrote the problem into law
“Millions of tons of recoverable material which could be used are needlessly buried each year.”
— U.S. Congress, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, 1976
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 is the federal foundation of waste management in the United States. Its opening findings are still true.
Demand for domestic fuel
meets an abundant resource
Energy security
Fuel from domestic waste reduces exposure to import disruptions and geopolitical supply risks.
Rising energy demand
Shipping, aviation and data centers create demand for additional fuel and energy supply.
Low-emission fuels
Premium pricing creates an opportunity for new supply.
Waste disposal costs
Recurring waste volumes and disposal fees support feedstock availability and plant revenue.
A $130B+ U.S. market opportunity
Annual fuel potential: what each waste stream could yield as fuel in a year. The three figures use the same methodology, from our initial market outward.
Annual fuel potential.
FAQ
Why methanol first?
Methanol is a liquid fuel with a large existing market — it is sold today to chemical makers, ships and fuel blenders. Our first plants make methanol from landfill waste; from 2029 we develop DME and sustainable aviation fuel on the same platform.
Does it need sorted waste?
No. Our process is purpose-built for unsorted landfill waste. Sensors read the composition of each incoming load, and our digital twin sets the operating conditions for that feedstock in real time.
Is this incineration?
No. We do not burn waste for heat. We convert it into synthesis gas and then into methanol in one integrated thermal plant with on-site energy recovery. The product is a fuel you can sell.
Where will the first plant be?
The first 60 ton-per-day plant is planned for 2029 at a partner landfill, after a 2 ton-per-day pilot in 2028.
How big is one plant?
One plant processes 60 tons of landfill waste a day. Revenue comes from tipping fees, methanol sales and fuel credits.
What makes the technology yours?
We develop the full process ourselves and own the IP — five patent applications — supported by our own simulator and digital twin.
How fast can you scale?
Standardized designs and suppliers let us replicate plants. Our roadmap: a 2 ton-per-day pilot in 2028, a 60 ton-per-day plant in 2029, 800 tons a day by 2031, and 24,000 tons a day by 2035.
Who is behind Waste Forge Energy?
A chemical and process engineering team with more than ten years in waste-to-fuel R&D and a research collaboration with Stanford's SUNCAT center.
Let's talk.
Send us a message and we'll get back fast.
Prefer email? andrew@w-forge.com