We interviewed Torsten Granberg, Founder and CEO of Plagazi. His company is focused on providing a process for producing hydrogen that reduces emissions of greenhouse gases on a global scale.
The genesis of the idea
Torsten Granberg has worked in the energy and gas industry for over 40 years. There he held key leadership positions at AGA AB, Studsvik AB, Kaeser Kompressoren, SunPine AB, and other companies. When he saw an opportunity to provide an innovative and competitive green hydrogen production process that significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, he founded Plagazi in 2008 and led it ever since. He incorporated the company with the vision to make the world a little greener.
“I filed a patent for Plagazi's plasma gasification process to further develop the circular economy by increasing the availability of clean energy and green hydrogen based on non-recyclable waste management.”
The product as a tool to help the EU reach its climate targets
Torsten shares that the EU needs new solutions to reduce dependence on imported energy and to decrease CO2 emissions to meet climate goals. Plagazi process is a solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving clean-energy independence. The company’s patented process is highly energy self-sufficient and environmentally sustainable.
The competitive advantage of the patented Plagazi process is its unique ability to extract renewable energy from waste that would otherwise have had a direct negative environmental impact. The production process is completely enclosed, has a negative carbon footprint, and produces no hazardous or environmentally harmful by-products.
Plagazi can extract renewable energy from non-recyclable waste, such as Auto Shredder Residue (ASR), contaminated plastics, wind turbine blades, industrial waste, hazardous waste, difficult biomass, and others. These materials would otherwise be disposed of in landfills or incinerated, causing environmental damage, and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. By converting these materials into green hydrogen, Plagazi is able to create clean energy while also reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills.
Plagazi is thus defying conventions by developing new and circular solutions that address waste in circulation while significantly lowering CO2 emissions. Torsten notes that the Plagazi process has a lower carbon footprint compared to other sustainable and renewable hydrogen production methods, such as electrolysis while producing the same end-product, fuel cell-grade green hydrogen.
Plagazi's progress over the years
Since its founding, Plagazi has grown significantly and made immense progress in upcoming projects across Europe. The company has partnered with Gotlandsbolaget and won several awards for its green hydrogen production process. Plagazi is currently in the process of developing its first commercial-scale plant and is in talks with several potential customers and partners.
Torsten is proud of Plagazi’s progress and team growth and is very optimistic about the company’s future and role in revolutionising the green hydrogen market and solving the global problem of non-recyclable waste.
“We create an opportunity and a solution where other people see problems.”
With the Plagazi process, the company can solve two major global issues with one process: recycle previously non-recyclable waste and transform it into green hydrogen that can decarbonize heavy industries and replace fossil fuels. Plagazi is leading the way in the fight against climate change and the push towards a cleaner and greener future.
Plagazi is currently working with a local municipality in Köping, Sweden to create a circular economy while reducing CO2 emissions. The company's green hydrogen production plant will replace the local incineration plant, treating the waste it currently burns while providing the municipality with district heating in a fully enclosed fashion. The plant will also benefit the local job market and the company aims to work with other industrial players nearby to create synergies and spur further project collaborations.
Company’s biggest achievement to date
Granberg states that the company's biggest achievement to date is raising its Series-A in Q3 2022 and partnering with Gotlandsbolaget, a maritime transport leader in the Baltic Sea, as a lead investor and industrial partner. This funding allowed the company to grow its team and kick-start various aspects of the Köping Hydrogen Park, one of the biggest green hydrogen projects in Europe.
The tipping point for the company was seeing plasma gasification in action and realising it could create a more circular world while being ecologically and economically viable for all parties involved.
“Now is the time to implement what we learned in our proof-of-concept unit. As we require no scale-up, I am confident we can do so quickly and efficiently, allowing our vision of green hydrogen, clean energy, and improved quality of life to come to fruition.”
A company that makes a difference
The Plagazi process offers a solution to the problem of non-recyclable waste. The company is working towards a more sustainable future by producing green hydrogen. The goal is to help decarbonize difficult-to-abate industries from waste that currently has a direct adverse environmental impact while having a negative carbon footprint and not producing any hazardous or environmentally harmful by-products.
“This opens up a circular economy where waste is repurposed and transformed into clean energy.”
Granberg also discusses how the current situation in Europe impacts the business and how the company is less affected than other hydrogen production methods because it is less dependent on electricity.
How Tech Tour helped Plagazi in their journey
Granberg believes every aspect of the Tech Tour events—from online registration to the event itself—is excellently planned.
“The Tech Tour events have always proven highly successful for us, with great pitching opportunities as well as remarkable networking results. Events are, for us, an opportunity to meet new people, see the industry evolve and find new partners, and Tech Tour has provided us exactly with that.”
