Small towns, island communities, and remote agro-processing sites often face the same dilemma: too much waste, too little infrastructure, and no easy way to turn a disposal problem into an energy asset. The Clean Pyrolysis K Range was designed precisely for this gap – a pre-packaged, skid-mounted pyrolysis system that converts municipal solid waste and biomass residues into usable heat and electricity, without the emissions profile associated with traditional incineration.
What Is the K Range?
The K Range is a family of compact, factory-built pyrolysis units engineered for small to medium-scale waste streams. Rather than requiring a bespoke civil engineering project, each unit is built into standard ISO shipping containers, making it easy to transport, install, and relocate as needs change.
The smallest K Range unit fits inside a single 40ft ISO high-lift container – roughly the footprint of two standard containers stacked on top of one another.
This modularity means operators aren’t locked into a single fixed capacity. Multiple units can be run in parallel to handle larger throughputs, and the systems can be deployed temporarily or as a long-term, building-integrated installation.
Typical Applications
The K Range is aimed at:
- Municipal solid waste disposal for populations of roughly 5,000–20,000 people, such as island communities and small villages
- Clinical and hazardous waste destruction, where thermally degradable materials need to be disposed of to high environmental standards
- Biomass energy generation at small to medium-scale processing facilities, including sawmills, rice mills (using rice husk), palm oil mills, and coconut processing plants
The Problem With Conventional Incineration
Traditional waste incineration relies on open combustion – flames, oxygen, and burning zones that must be tightly controlled to manage emissions. This is a proven but relatively “dirty” and inefficient way to process waste, especially at small scale, and it often requires costly flue-gas treatment to meet environmental standards.
Clean pyrolysis takes a fundamentally different approach.
How Clean Pyrolysis Technology Works
At the heart of the K Range is a patent-protected process that introduces high-heat loadings into a sealed pyrolysis chamber via superheated water rather than open flame.
In the absence of air and in the presence of water, burning does not occur. This is not incineration – there are no flames or burning zones to control.
The process follows three key stages:
1. Shredding and Torrefaction Drying
Wet biomass or waste feedstock is first shredded down to a manageable size. It then passes through torrefaction drying – thermal drying carried out in the absence of air. This step maximises the energy value extracted from the feedstock and prevents the product gas from being diluted by air.
2. Pyrolysis Conversion
Within the pyrolysis chamber, biomass is thermally broken down into pyrogas and syngas under an oxygen-free atmosphere, using superheated water as the heat transfer medium.
3. Energy Recovery
The resulting gas is used in one of two ways, depending on feedstock consistency:
- Internal combustion (gas) engine – used where the gas source is clean, stable, and low in tar, delivering higher thermal efficiency for electricity generation. High tar loads can damage engines, so this route suits homogeneous biomass streams.
- Thermal oxidiser and waste-heat boiler feeding a steam turbine – used for dirtier or more variable waste streams such as mixed municipal solid waste. This route is less efficient than direct gas engine use but is highly reliable and tolerant of variable feedstock.
Key Features
- Electrical and thermal energy production from small-scale biomass waste streams
- Skid-mounted installation for straightforward deployment and relocation
- Clean emissions, thanks to a pure pyrolytic (oxygen-free) atmosphere for thermal reduction
- Base configuration for mixed waste streams, using a steam-cycle Stirling engine setup
- Doubled energy conversion efficiency available for homogeneous waste streams via spark ignition engines
- Hazardous and clinical waste capability, processed to very high environmental standards
Specification Data
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Mass flow rate (wet) | 6 to 20 tonnes/day |
| Mass flow rate (dry) | 4 to 12 tonnes/day |
| Normal operation availability | 90% |
| Availability with preventative maintenance | 95% |
| Design moisture content | 40% (wet basis); higher loadings possible |
| Thermal output @ 6 wet tonnes/day | 550 kW |
| Thermal output @ 20 wet tonnes/day | 1.84 MW |
| Electrical efficiency – gas engine | 35% |
| Electrical efficiency – steam turbine | 22% |
| Max steam-cycle electrical output @ 6 wet tonnes/day | 120 kW |
| Max steam-cycle electrical output @ 20 wet tonnes/day | 0.4 MW |
| Land footprint – 6 tonne/day unit | Single 40ft ISO high-lift container |
| Land footprint – 20 tonne/day unit | Two 40ft ISO high-lift containers |
Accepted Waste Types
- Biomass of many varieties
- Sorted municipal solid waste
- Clinical waste
- Thermally degradable hazardous waste
- Confidential waste
Outputs: Power and Ash
The end products of the K Range process are electrical/thermal energy and ash. For biomass feedstocks, the resulting ash is non-toxic and can be repurposed as a soil fertiliser – turning what would otherwise be a waste disposal cost into a secondary value stream.
Deployment Flexibility
Because the K Range is built around ISO container dimensions, it can be:
- Shipped and installed rapidly at remote or island sites
- Installed inside a building for permanent, long-term operation
- Run continuously, in extended campaigns, or on an as-needed basis
This flexibility makes it particularly well suited to communities that need a scalable, relocatable alternative to landfill or open burning – options that carry well-documented environmental and public health risks.
Key Takeaways
- The K Range processes 4–12 tonnes of dry waste (6–20 tonnes wet) per day per module, with multiple modules combinable for larger sites.
- It uses a clean, flame-free pyrolysis process driven by superheated water rather than open combustion, distinguishing it from conventional incineration.
- Clean, homogeneous biomass streams can be routed through gas engines for higher electrical efficiency (35%), while mixed or variable waste uses a more robust steam turbine route (22%).
- Units are fully skid/container-mounted, enabling fast deployment, relocation, or long-term building installation.
- Outputs are limited to clean power/heat and non-toxic, fertiliser-grade ash (for biomass feedstocks).
Get in Touch
If your community, mill, or processing facility is looking for a cleaner, more efficient way to manage biomass or municipal waste while recovering valuable energy, the Clean Pyrolysis K Range could be the right fit. Contact our team today to discuss your waste stream, throughput requirements, and site conditions, and find out how a K Range module could be configured for your project.