Four Protocols.
One outcome.

Imagine a super-powered microwave oven big enough for a whole truck. We put manufacturing feedstock inside, but instead of warming it up, this special oven uses invisible energy waves to break everything all the way down into its tiniest building blocks. It’s like taking a big LEGO castle apart into individual bricks, then using those bricks to build a spaceship or race car. We turn feedstock back into clean materials and energy we can use again.

Think of the Recyclotron as a combination of a vacuum cooker and an industrial microwave, specifically designed for efficient feedstock conversion. Shredded manufacturing feedstock is fed into a sealed, oxygen-free container and heated very quickly and precisely using high-powered microwaves. Intense heating without oxygen prevents any burning, causing complex materials to rapidly break apart into their simplest molecular components. This process — Microwave Catalytic Reforming — efficiently turns mixed feedstock into valuable outputs like carbon and industrial chemicals.

Shredded manufacturing feedstock combined with a specialized catalyst is introduced into an anoxic (oxygen-free) vessel. 915 MHz microwave energy raises the catalyst temperature to 550°C, initiating flash reformation (thermal decomposition without oxygen) and steam gasification. These processes break down complex organic polymers into raw syngas and valuable solid char.

The 915 MHz electromagnetic field induces rapid molecular oscillation in polar molecules and efficiently heats admixed catalytic materials due to their high dielectric loss tangent (tan δ). The ultimate product distribution is governed by Gibbs free energy minimization at the specified operating temperature and pressure, optimizing product yields.

While the bulk process can be approximated by Gibbs free energy minimization for thermodynamic equilibrium, the actual product distribution is a kinetically controlled process influenced by significant heat and mass transfer limitations.

Microwave Effects: Rapid, volumetric heating can create localized non-equilibrium conditions at the particle level, potentially forming unique molecular species not predicted by bulk equilibrium models.

Heterogeneous Reactions: The model must account for heterogeneous feedstock composition, where reaction rate is limited not just by chemical kinetics but by diffusion of reactants to the catalyst surface and heat transfer from hot catalyst particles to surrounding material. Significant thermal gradients exist at the micro-scale.

Accurate reactor modeling requires multiphysics simulation. The electromagnetic field distribution within the cylindrical cavity is governed by Maxwell’s equations, solved for the specific reactor geometry and the complex, time-varying dielectric properties of the heterogeneous feedstock.

Reactor parameters are derived from validation across multiple development-scale systems; multiphysics simulation models inform commercial-scale parameter selection through established engineering practice.

Imagine our whole factory is inside a giant clear bubble. The APS is like a giant vacuum cleaner for this bubble — always gently pulling air inwards so no dust or smells can ever escape outside. Like when you vacuum up glitter so it doesn’t spread everywhere. Our system saves all the valuable little bits so we can turn them into useful things.

The APS acts like a powerful kitchen hood vent, but for the entire facility. It constantly pulls air into a network of ducts from every area where dust or gas could potentially be released. Unlike traditional methods that treat escaped vapors as a loss, Carbotura sees them as lost resources. The APS captures these vapors, cleans them thoroughly, and transforms them into additional synthetic graphite — turning a potential liability into a profit center.

For a 400 TPD facility, the APS is designed to capture approximately 1,200 metric tons of fugitive organic compounds per year. Instead of venting these as a permitted emission, they are re-processed through an electromagnetic cracker and converted into additional Pristine Carbon — turning a potential environmental liability into a significant revenue stream valued at $7.7M annually at $7,500/ton synthetic graphite.

The APS maintains a constant negative pressure differential of -0.2 bar throughout the entire facility, handling a volumetric flow rate of 60,000 m³/hr. This high capacity ensures comprehensive capture across the facility. Recovered hydrocarbons are routed back to the main process, producing an additional 2.8 metric tons per day of synthetic graphite.

Modeling the APS involves a complex techno-economic assessment. CapEx/OpEx is evaluated against the NPV of the recovered product stream. Traditional facilities model fugitive emissions as a compliance cost. Our model treats the APS as a yield-maximization unit with quantifiable ROI — energy cost of the APS is approximately 0.028% of total facility energy consumption.

Economic viability is strong because recovered hydrocarbons are of high quality. Re-introducing them into the main process increases feedstock for highest-value products without increasing raw feedstock input — directly boosting overall facility profitability.

The APS uses a Model Predictive Control (MPC) strategy. The captured fugitive stream’s material balance is a non-trivial input to the overall plant simulation. Recovered hydrocarbons route back to the main process, directly impacting the CRU mass balance and final graphite yield — creating a positive economic feedback loop where recovered material value offsets APS operational cost. SCADA integration enables real-time capture efficiency monitoring across all 60,000 m³/hr flow.

Decentralized Sensing: Low-cost solid-state sensors at every emission point creating a high-resolution real-time emissions map, replacing reliance on a few complex analyzers.

Predictive ML: Machine learning models predict fugitive emissions using process equipment data (motor vibration, seal temperature) — enabling proactive response before gas sensors detect leaks.

CFD Modeling: Full 3D CFD simulation of the facility including all equipment and the complete hood/ducting network. Calibrated with empirical data from smoke tests and anemometer readings, predictive accuracy is within 95–98% of real-world airflow and pressure performance.

It’s like baking a cake — you start with simple ingredients (flour, eggs, sugar) and as you mix and bake them, they turn into something much more special. RevCon does the same thing with feedstock — turning plain stuff into amazing new materials, each step more refined and more valuable than the last.

Imagine feedstock as raw dough. RevCon 0 is that messy beginning. As it moves through each RevCon level, the material becomes more refined — like dough becoming bread, then a sandwich, and finally a gourmet meal. Each step makes it more useful and valuable. Water yields fall from 60 TPD at RevCon 1 to 1 TPD at RevCon 5, yet revenue climbs from $1.1M/year to $36.5M/year.

RevCon stands for Revenue Readiness Condition. At RC0: crude streams — raw water, char, hydrocarbons, mixed metals. RC1: purified water, cullet glass, concentrated metals. RC2: activated carbon, industrial chemicals. RC3: synthetic graphite, pure water, recovered minerals — the conservative baseline for all financial projections. RC4: graphene, electronic-grade silicon. RC5: ultra-pure rare earths, semiconductor-grade water.

RevCon progression is a trade-off between yield and value. Yields decrease from 100% (RC1) to less than 10% (RC5), while unit values increase by orders of magnitude. Hydrocarbons: $3.7M–$36.5M/year at RC1, $292M–$2.9B/year at RC5 (8 TPD yield). Under market volatility, progression may pause at RC2–3 for cash-flow stability.

Derating: Certain modules may be derated by up to 50% — nameplate throughput does not always match effective output. This ensures revenue projections reflect practical operating conditions. Reflow management affects up to 15% of throughput. Carbon yields by tier: 30% at RC2, 40% at RC3, 20% at RC4, 10% at RC5.

CapEx scaling is non-linear: RC3 requires tens of millions in equipment; RC5 requires hundreds of millions depending on market-specific certification. Open research questions: whether rare earth refinement at RC5 can consistently sustain >99.9999% purity without excessive energy input; how blockchain-based product tracking integrates with life cycle assessment verification at scale; and whether market absorption capacity can fully utilize multi-billion annual RC5 output or production must be throttled to demand.