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TerraWaste
Techstars '22Riga, LV · Founded 2021 · 6 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors
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TerraWaste develops htloop®, a modular hydrothermal process that uses high-temperature, high-pressure water to convert low-quality mixed waste plastics and biomass into near-naphtha oil for use as petrochemical feedstock. It targets waste handlers and petrochemical companies, aiming to enable plastics recirculation and reduced CO2 while competing economically with fossil oil.
Also known as Terrawaste
Investors · 1
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Company profile
researched Sep 2026TerraWaste is a recycling and materials company working on hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) technology that converts non-recyclable waste into an oil product it markets as "Eternal oil." Its htloop® process is a modular hydrothermal system that applies high-temperature, high-pressure water to low-quality mixed waste plastics and biomass, yielding a near-naphtha oil intended for use as petrochemical feedstock.
The company positions its work at the intersection of sustainable recycling and carbon-negative materials, emphasising feedstock versatility, research into the behaviour of different plastic types, end-product yields with a significant phenol content, and an overall carbon-negativity objective. It states an intention to scale operations toward addressing waste volumes at gigaton scale.
Business model
TerraWaste converts non-recyclable waste streams into an oil product sold as petrochemical feedstock, positioning the modular htloop® process for scale-up to address large waste volumes.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography
Market position
The company is at seed stage and is categorised under clean energy and storage in the SET100 database, where it participated in the Start Up Energy Transition programme. It differentiates on carbon negativity and materials circularity rather than on energy recovery alone.
TerraWaste attributes its differentiation to advanced catalysts and reactor designs, the ability to process varied and low-quality feedstocks, and high-quality end-product yields with significant phenol content, combined with a stated carbon-negative process objective.
Technology
The core technology is hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL), implemented as the modular htloop® process in which high-temperature, high-pressure water breaks down low-quality mixed waste plastics and biomass into a near-naphtha oil. The company cites proprietary catalysts and reactor designs as the elements that improve process efficiency and environmental performance, and highlights feedstock versatility and end-product quality, including a significant phenol content in the resulting oil.
Go-to-market
The process output is aimed at petrochemical companies that can use the resulting near-naphtha oil as feedstock, and at waste handlers seeking outlets for non-recyclable mixed waste streams.
Geography
The company operates primarily from the Netherlands and is expanding into Austria and Latvia; internal records place its headquarters in Riga, Latvia.
Compiled by commissioned research from 1 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 1
launches, deals, and filingsListed in the SET100 database under the Clean Energy & Storage category with participant status.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 1
primary sources listed
- Terrawaste - Start Up Energy Transitionstartup-energy-transition.com · web
1 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does TerraWaste do?
- TerraWaste uses hydrothermal liquefaction to convert non-recyclable waste plastics and biomass into oil feedstock.
- Who are TerraWaste's investors?
- TerraWaste's investors include Techstars.
- Where is TerraWaste headquartered?
- TerraWaste is headquartered in Riga, LV.