TreaTech: Turning Waste into Wealth to Redefine Sustainability

Waste management has always been difficult. Most waste is either burned or stored, which causes environmental problems and uses up valuable resources. TreaTech is a company that wants to change this. They want to show that waste can be a useful resource instead of a problem. Their most exciting new technology is called Catalytic Hydrothermal Gasification (cHTG). This is a new way of turning liquid waste into energy and other useful things. Conventional incineration releases large amounts of CO2 and pollutants, but HTG operates under supercritical water conditions, breaking down organic waste at a molecular level. This process generates methane-rich gas, which can be used as a renewable energy source, alongside clean water recovery and the extraction of valuable minerals such as phosphates and ammonia for reuse in agriculture and industry. TreaTech's technology is a sustainable alternative to traditional waste disposal, and it reduces CO₂ emissions by up to 94%.

Frédéric Juillard, TreaTech's CEO and one of the company's founders, has been leading the further development and market introduction of this technology. His journey into waste management and sustainability was unconventional. After completing his Master's degree in Life Sciences and Biotechnology, he had to decide between entering a company or pursuing a PhD. Neither of these options appealed to him, so he looked for a way to make a real, tangible impact on daily life. He was interested in sustainability and the intelligent use of waste. He started working in the IDYST group at UNIL, where he realised that traditional waste treatment methods were outdated. While doing research, he found out about a patent that Professor Maréchal had filed at EPFL for a process in the field of supercritical water treatment of liquid waste.

Seeing the potential of this innovation he worked with the Technology Transfer Office (TTO) to get the rights to further develop the technology and take the first steps towards building a prototype. Working with the TTO at EPFL was very important, as they helped with the licensing process and gave him the legal and strategic information, he needed to move the technology from academia to industry. But the road to success was not without problems. One of the biggest challenges was getting funding. Frédéric looked at public funding, but the results were disappointing. So, he started networking in the private sector and pitching the project to private investors. This strategy worked when a large corporation together with with Jean-Jacques Miauton decided to invest in the project based on promising preliminary modelling. With an initial CHF 400,000 secured, the first prototype was finally underway, and the company was officially set up as an Sàrl. As the project gained pace, Frédéric realised that he needed a strong team of experts. In 2016, he partnered with Dr. Gaël Peng, an expert in heterogenous catalysis, to build the first working lab-scale prototype at EPFL's chemical engineering lab (LPDC led by Prof. J. Luterbacher). The initial patent focused on salt separation under supercritical conditions, but with growing industrial interest, the focus expanded to include municipal and agricultural waste treatment and further industrial applications, which would be well-suited for Switzerland's waste landscape. With the first lab prototype of the patented technology completed, TreaTech needed to demonstrate the feasibility of its technology on a larger scale.

In 2018, the company joined forces with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), where catalytic hydrothermal gasification technologies had been developed since the early 2000s, to construct a pilot plant that could process various types of waste. The expertise of PSI in catalysts and process optimization and their patents in the field proved invaluable in scaling the project up from the laboratory. The Swiss Federal Office of Energy supported the project, and CHF 4 million was raised in funding. This allowed the technology to be validated at higher scale than lab for the first time. But even though the pilot was going well at PSI, it became clear that an industrial version was needed to show that the technology was reliable and could be used in industry. It wasn't easy to balance the academic research with TreaTech's business goals, but Frédéric and his team did brilliantly. They made sure the project was technologically sound and commercially viable. The success of this first project has allowed the company to expand even more. In 2020, TreaTech got €2.5 million from the EU Commission, which let it grow its team and design its first industrial unit. In 2022, TreaTech secured additional funding to develop a first industrial unit outside the lab, designed to operate continuously for thousands of hours and demonstrate robustness and efficiency. This first unit was set up in 2023 in Lavigny at Ecorecyclage site, focusing on biological waste treatment. This milestone led to the production of TreaTech's first cubic metre of methane-rich gas, which marked the beginning of the company's next growth phase.

By 2023, the company had converted to a S.A., supporting its development towards larger-scale commercialisation. With its circular waste-to-energy approach, TreaTech is now engaging with more industrial buyers, recognizing that its technology of producing methane, as well as valuable by-products, offers a game-changing solution for companies seeking to revolutionize their waste management strategies. What makes TreaTech path truly remarkable is the determination and resilience required to bring such an ambitious technology to market. In the field of heavy technology, where advancements often require over a decade of development, TreaTech's ability to stay focused on its goals and overcome financial and technical challenges is a testament to Frédéric Juillard's leadership.

The collaboration between EPFL's TTO and PSI played a key role in supporting TreaTech's technological foundation, ensuring that research efforts were effectively translated into practical applications. While academic and commercial priorities sometimes diverged, this partnership allowed TreaTech to use advanced research while keeping focus on actual implementation. Frédéric's journey shows how important it is to challenge traditional thinking to create new things. By following his passion for sustainability, he has built a company that is changing the future of waste management. His story shows that sometimes the most fulfilling paths are the ones we create for ourselves.