Molecular Recycling for the ABC Islands.
CEON turns waste and sargassum into valuable feedstock. Building on existing collection and recycling, each stream is processed according to its molecular composition.
View the approach ↗Challenge
Rising waste volumes, recurring sargassum inundations, scarce landfill capacity, a heavy dependence on imported energy, and growing public health and safety risks.
Solution
Waste as a defined feedstock: the residual of each stream after waste separation is converted CO₂-neutrally into syngas and biochar.
Bonaire
Curaçao
Aruba
of waste received annually by Selibon.
of waste produced in 2022.
of solid waste generated annually (estimate).
is landfilled at Lagun, where capacity is limited.
is landfilled at Malpais.
processed by Serlimar at the Parkietenbos landfill (2021).
is recycled, mostly off-island.
is recycled.
is recycled.
Lagun landfill closes end of 2028.
Malpais will reach its limit in 2029.
Parkietenbos already closed, Barcadera limited capacity.
Sources: Selibon; Tweede Kamer (Curaçao, 2022); Serlimar review 2022; Feenstra & Alofs; Government of Aruba; University of Aruba.
One waste stream, two product streams.
Every waste stream carries a distinct chemical signature: a specific ratio of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, combined with moisture and ash content. The DCI technology of our partner DOPS converts it into:
Syngas
A combustible gas for power, heat or downstream fuels.
Biochar
A stable carbon product for soil enhancement, construction, filtration and carbon-removal credits.
Quality in = value out.
Green and wood waste yields a different syngas profile and a higher-grade biochar than mixed household waste; dried sargassum yields yet another. The product value of syngas and biochar rises with the quality of the feedstock. By processing feedstocks as dedicated streams, the combined value of the products can exceed the value of a mixed waste stream.
1 · Separate
Green/wood, paper and cardboard, sargassum and residual waste as defined streams.
2 · Prepare
Each stream is dried and conditioned to specification.
3 · Convert
Each stream runs through the DCI™ system on its own optimised recipe.
4 · Monetise
Syngas and biochar are sold and distributed according to their quality grade.
Two floating plants for the ABC Islands.
Two identical mobile floating Waste2Value plants are designed to process the total annual waste and sargassum volumes of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, with safe storage capacity for syngas and biochar on board. Rather than a single furnace, each functions as a configurable materials-recovery platform.
64
conversion shafts, enabling 8 streams per plant to run in parallel.
~80 kton
of syngas per year.
~70 kton
of biochar per year.
50,000
Estimated Carbon Emission Reduction Credits per year, to be quantified by a certified LCA.
Shared responsibility, shared reward.
DOPS
Owner and licensor of the DCI™ technology platform and provider of process modelling and performance data.
CEON
Project developer, integrator and operator: structuring the partnerships, running the Waste2Value units and developing off-take markets.
The islands
Feedstock suppliers, responsible for the pre-process: separation, drying and delivery-ready preparation. This shifts islands from waste generators to raw-material suppliers and creates local employment in sorting and conditioning.
Adding value to every existing waste stream.
The DOPS DCI™ system complements the existing waste collection and recycling processes on the ABC Islands. Collection, sorting and recycling continue as they operate today; the DCI adds value at the end of each stream by converting the remainders into syngas and biochar, without CO₂ exhaust.
1 · Total waste
All waste streams are collected through the existing island systems for household, commercial, green and wood waste. The harvested sargassum serves as an additional waste stream. CEON aligns with these established processes and the operators who run them.
2 · Recycle
Glass, tins, metals and other recyclable materials follow their existing recycling routes, as they do today. Stones, ceramics, batteries and hazardous items are handled through their current dedicated channels. What remains after recycling is a carbon-rich fraction that is ideally suited for conversion in the DCI.
3 · Compost & dry
The organic fraction is composted and bio-dried, and residual waste is dried to the DCI moisture specification. Sargassum is dried. Paper, cardboard, wood, textiles and rubber remainders are kept as separate streams and conditioned where needed, preserving their individual molecular signature.
4 · DCI pellets
Each conditioned stream is shredded, sieved and pelletised to a uniform size and density, then sampled and graded (A/B/C) on moisture, ash, C/H/O profile and purity. The pellets are stored per stream and delivered to Waste2Value I & II, optimising the production of biochar and syngas to its maximum value.
| Fraction | Step 2 output | Step 3 moisture reduction | Step 4 DCI pellets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residual waste | 97.7 | −20.5 | 77.2 |
| Organic waste (GFT) | 83.1 | −54.0 | 29.1 |
| Paper/cardboard | 36.5 | – | 36.5 |
| Wood | 28.8 | – | 28.8 |
| Textiles + tyres/rubber | 3.4 | – | 3.4 |
| Sargassum (dried) | 18.7 | – | 18.7 |
| Total | 268.1 | −74.5 | 193.6 |
Indicative figures, derived from the ABC feedstock table; recycled volumes in Step 2 to be confirmed with island waste-composition data.
Quality in = value out.
CEON applies a tolling model, well established in the petrochemical industry. It embeds a financial driver for source separation: the better an island prepares its waste, the greater its return. A better and more controlled input directly improves the quality and value of the output, which flows directly back to the feedstock supplier.
Competitive differentiation
- Waste treated as a defined feedstock rather than a disposal liability.
- Predictable yields per tonne, supported by process modelling and operational validation.
- Modular, parallel and scalable capacity, allocated in response to market demand.
- Shared responsibility, shared reward between supplier and operator.
- A regional flagship turning sargassum into a productive feedstock.
- Designed to support low-carbon and circular-economy objectives.
Key considerations
- Evidence-based claims: published yields derive from the DOPS model and pilot data.
- Sargassum quality: separate grading and certification (e.g. EBC/IBI) before agricultural application.
- Acceptance control: sampling and laboratory analysis at intake underpin a fair and transparent grading system.
- Off-take development: biochar and syngas buyers and carbon-credit markets developed in parallel with capacity.