Our Technology

A Century of Science, Engineered for Today's Waste Problem

Riven's technology isn't new science dressed up as innovation — it's proven science, finally engineered for practical, affordable deployment. Hydro-thermal carbonization (HTC) uses heat and pressure to break down organic and mixed waste into stable, high-value products. No open flame. No incineration. No smokestack plumes over a community that never asked for one.

Riven's technology isn't new science dressed up as innovation — it's proven science, finally engineered for practical, affordable deployment. Hydro-thermal carbonization (HTC) uses heat and pressure to break down organic and mixed waste into stable, high-value products. No open flame. No incineration. No smokestack plumes over a community that never asked for one.

What HTC Actually Does

Think of it less like burning and more like a pressure cooker. Waste — whether it's food scraps, sewage sludge, plastics, or manure — is loaded into a sealed reactor vessel and heated to roughly 220°C under approximately 350 psi of pressure. In under four hours, that process breaks the material down and drives out moisture, even from waste that's up to 90% water by weight.

What comes out the other side isn't ash. It's hydrochar — a stable, energy-dense solid that behaves like coal, but without digging anything out of the ground to get it.

Think of it less like burning and more like a pressure cooker. Waste — whether it's food scraps, sewage sludge, plastics, or manure — is loaded into a sealed reactor vessel and heated to roughly 220°C under approximately 350 psi of pressure. In under four hours, that process breaks the material down and drives out moisture, even from waste that's up to 90% water by weight.

What comes out the other side isn't ash. It's hydrochar — a stable, energy-dense solid that behaves like coal, but without digging anything out of the ground to get it.

Input waste can carry up to 90% moisture — most systems can't handle that

Full cycle completes in under 4 hours

One reactor can run up to 10 cycles per day, 24 hours a day

The Science

From Waste to Output: One Process, Multiple Products

What Goes In

Sources

FLEXIBLE INPUTS

Plastics • Manure • Food Waste • Sewage Sludge • Medical Waste

Process

MODULAR. COMPACT FOOTPRINT

Deployed in modular containers, engineered for rapid installation, minimal site disruption

What Comes Out

Outputs

MULTIPLE REVENUE STREAMS

Hydrochar (a direct coal replacement) • Electricity • Activated Carbon • Biogas

Mission and Vision

Built to Be Trusted, Not Just Efficient

Non-Incineration by Design

There's no open flame and no burning waste in the open air. The process relies on controlled heat and pressure inside a sealed vessel — the same reason communities that have pushed back against traditional incinerators have welcomed this approach instead.

A Genuinely Cleaner Alternative to Coal

The hydrochar this process produces burns as a direct replacement for thermal coal, but with meaningfully lower emissions — less CO2, less sulfur dioxide, less mercury, less ash, and less nitrogen oxide released for the same energy output. It's not a tradeoff between performance and impact. It delivers both.

Modular From One Site to an Entire Corridor

Because each system is built around a compact, containerized footprint, Riven can start with a single reactor at a single site and scale by adding units — not by rebuilding from scratch. The same technology that works for one community today is the technology that scales across an entire region tomorrow.

Non-Incineration by Design

A Genuinely Cleaner Alternative to Coal

Modular From One Site to an Entire Corridor

Non-Incineration by Design

A Genuinely Cleaner Alternative to Coal

Modular From One Site to an Entire Corridor

Not a Pilot. Not a Prototype.

The foundational science behind hydro-thermal carbonization dates back over a century, and has been recognized at the highest levels of scientific achievement. What's changed in the last several years is cost, making commercial deployment realistic for the first time at this scale.

The foundational science behind hydro-thermal carbonization dates back over a century, and has been recognized at the highest levels of scientific achievement. What's changed in the last several years is cost, making commercial deployment realistic for the first time at this scale.

Why Riven

OUR TECHNOLOGY

Best-in-class technology, without the tradeoffs.

CHARACTERISTIC
High-moisture biomass
Primary medium
Primary solid output
Typical process temperature
Key engineering issue
Strong fit
Water + pressure
Hydrochar
Moderate
Process-water management
PYROLYSIS
Typically requires drying
Dry thermal environment
Biochar
Higher
Drying + vapor/product handling

CHARACTERISTIC
High-moisture biomass
Primary medium
Primary solid output
Typical process temperature
Key engineering issue
Strong fit
Water + pressure
Hydrochar
Moderate
Process-water management
PYROLYSIS
Typically requires drying
Dry thermal environment
Biochar
Higher
Drying + vapor/product handling

Lower cost. Faster deployment. More flexibility on what goes in. That combination is why traditional approaches have struggled where Riven is built to succeed.

Frequently asked questions

A Few Things People Usually Ask Us

Is this the same as incineration?

No. HTC uses controlled heat and pressure in a sealed reactor vessel — there is no open flame or combustion of waste at any point in the process.

How proven is this technology, really?

The foundational science has been in active use for over a century, with Riven's specific implementation actively operating in Japan for 17 years and across five countries. It's rated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 9 — proven in operational environments, not experimental.

What can the system actually process?

Plastics, manure, food waste, sewage sludge, and medical waste — with minimal pre-processing beyond removing metal, rock, and glass. The system is largely feedstock-agnostic, which is a meaningful departure from most competing technologies.

Why does the modular design matter so much?

It's the single biggest driver of Riven's cost and timeline advantage. A containerized system installs in months, not years, and scales by adding units rather than rebuilding — which is exactly the kind of flexibility traditional mega-plants can't offer.

Is this the same as incineration?

No. HTC uses controlled heat and pressure in a sealed reactor vessel — there is no open flame or combustion of waste at any point in the process.

How proven is this technology, really?

What can the system actually process?

Why does the modular design matter so much?

Sep 15

Technology

Close-up of dense, dark hydrochar material with a coal-like compressed texture

What Is Hydrochar, and Why Is It a Real Coal Replacement?

Sep 15

Technology

What Is Hydrochar, and Why Is It a Real Coal Replacement?

Aug 21

Technology

Sealed cylindrical industrial pressure vessel with a bolted circular viewport and connected piping

Inside the Reactor: How Low Heat and Pressure Turn Waste Into Power

Aug 21

Technology

Inside the Reactor: How Low Heat and Pressure Turn Waste Into Power

Aug 20

Technology

Modular industrial facility glowing with warm light at dusk, representing established operations

From Japan to the Philippines: The 17-Year Journey of HTC Technology

Aug 20

Technology

Our Technology

Our Technology

Our Technology

A Century of Science, Engineered for Today's Waste Problem

A Century of Science, Engineered for Today's Waste Problem

A Century of Science, Engineered for Today's Waste Problem

What HTC Actually Does

What HTC Actually Does

What HTC Actually Does

Input waste can carry up to 90% moisture — most systems can't handle that