Poland’s district heating (DHN) infrastructure is both a legacy achievement and a growing liability. Half the country depends on centralised heat, yet the economic foundation of that system is in crisis. The cost to sustainably generate clean heat in Europe is around EUR 0.50 per kilowatt-hour. In Poland, the market pays only about EUR 0.25/kWh. This is not a viable business model. It is a slow failure in plain sight – a structural mismatch between what heat costs to produce and what consumers can afford to pay.
But what if there were a way to produce heat sustainably, affordably – and without relying on it as your main income stream? That’s the proposition of TITAN and ASMARA. These are not conventional power plants. They are modular, carbon-negative industrial platforms that happen to produce a lot of clean, surplus heat – and that changes everything.
Heat as a By-Product, Not a Revenue Anchor
TITAN’s Island One is a biomass-fuelled Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant, running on forest residues converted into hydrogen producer gas. It produces stable, 24/7 electricity – and in doing so, generates significant volumes of usable heat. But this heat is not the commercial driver of the system. It is a process by-product.
Because TITAN’s business model does not depend on selling heat for profit, it can afford to export heat into Poland’s existing DHN pricing environment without financial strain. In fact, it thrives there – simply because heat is not our bottom line. That distinction makes TITAN a structural fit for the Polish context, where heat prices are capped and economic pressure is high.
Poland’s energy transition depends not only on building more solar and wind farms, but on ensuring these resources can be safely and reliably connected to the national grid. The TITAN platform, developed by Syngas Project offers a breakthrough solution: modular, rural-based energy infrastructure that enables the grid to absorb more intermittent renewables while delivering jobs, resilience, and fuel sovereignty.
The first ten TITANs are now entering deployment, each with a rated electrical output of 10 MWe, supported by 10 MW of reserve dispatchable capacity. These systems are specifically located in rural areas, where Poland’s grid is weakest and decentralised energy is most urgently needed. TITAN acts as a local grid stabiliser, absorbing local intermittency and enabling nearby wind and solar systems to feed clean power into the grid safely.
Each TITAN site creates more than 50 direct jobs, plus a wider network of local supply chain opportunities—from biomass harvesting and transport to equipment servicing and biochar sales. These installations form the backbone of a new rural energy economy, anchored in forest and agricultural waste streams.
Lifestacking: A Value Proposition for Carbon Sovereignty
In the post-carbon era, success will not be defined by how much we extract from the Earth, but by how intelligently we reuse what we already have. That’s the principle behind “Lifestacking”, a new industrial model enabled by the integration of Hydrogen Producer Gas (HPG) and Targeted Microbial Fermentation (TMF). Developed and deployed by the Syngas Project, this approach doesn’t just recycle energy or materials; it recycles carbon, intelligently and endlessly.
The Problem with Linear Carbon Use
In traditional energy and industrial systems, carbon is a one-way ticket: extracted, combusted, emitted. Even so-called “green” solutions often fail to close the loop. They burn biomass and call it renewable, or capture CO2 only to inject it underground, removing it from the cycle entirely. These models fail to recognise the value of carbon as a feedstock, especially in a world where biology is ready to do the work.
How Lifestacking Works
Lifestacking is a process stack, a layered system where every step adds value, compounds efficiency, and deepens impact. The synergy between HPG and TMF unlocks a cascading value chain that transforms waste carbon into Fuel, Chemicals, Materials, and Nutrients (FCMN). But unlike traditional processes, nothing is burned or discarded. Instead, carbon is passed along, reprocessed, and transformed.
Poland’s 400+ licensed district heating systems are not just engineering relics of a bygone era—they are also anchors for future prosperity. Many still run on coal or imported gas. Others are underfunded, deteriorating, and disconnected from the sweeping energy transition taking place in Warsaw or Berlin. But behind each rusting pipeline and coal-fired chimney is an opportunity: to decarbonise, regenerate, and redistribute.
Replacing district heating doesn’t just cut emissions. It lights the fire of a new economy—one rooted in local biomass, in new forms of clean hydrogen-rich gas, in circular carbon chemistry, and in the industrial capabilities of Poland’s people. This is not just about technology. It is about dignity, sovereignty, and equitable growth.
TITAN and ASMARA: Platforms for Change
The TITAN and ASMARA platforms, developed by Syngas Project and backed by strategic international partners, are not just cleaner energy systems. They are instruments of regeneration. Together, they deliver:
Smokeless, dispatchable heat and electricity through advanced gasification (HPG),
Second-generation ethanol and other fuels via targeted microbial fermentation (TMF),
Bio-based alternatives to imported chemicals, materials, and proteins,
Local employment across harvesting, logistics, engineering, and fermentation sciences,
And critically: a stable platform for economic development in places that globalisation left behind.
Each TITAN is modular and self-contained. It runs on regional forest residue, agricultural waste, or sorted urban waste streams. Each ASMARA complements TITAN by valorising complex municipal solid waste in urban zones. Together, they replace dependency with resilience—foreign fuel with local ingenuity.
In the heart of Poland, Syngas Project, in collaboration with technical partners and innovators, is embarking on a groundbreaking journey, tendering the first of twelve TITAN installations poised to revolutionize the utilization of forest waste. This endeavour is not just about energy production but the orchestration of a holistic supply chain, strategically designed to yield more than 500,000 litres per day of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and Biodiesel through the Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) pathway. The vision extends beyond conventional paradigms, with a keen focus on next-generation outcomes propelled by cutting-edge technologies like CRISPR.
In April 2023, the European Union approved the ReFuelEU Aviation proposal which imposes blending mandates on synthetic fuels for aviation, increasing from 0.7% in 2030 to 28% in 2050.
Setting the Stage: TITAN’s Forest Waste Transformation
TITAN, the cornerstone of Syngas Project’s innovative portfolio, is not merely a waste-to-energy solution; it is a catalyst for systemic change. The first twelve TITAN installations are strategically positioned to convert forest waste, addressing the environmental challenge of residues from clear-cut logging activities. By harnessing this otherwise underutilized resource, TITAN is poised to deliver a daily output of 2nd generation ethanol (2G EtOH), laying the foundation for a sustainable supply chain.
Supply Chain Dynamics: From Forest Waste to SAF and Biodiesel
The supply chain orchestrated by Syngas Project and its technical partners is a symphony of efficiency and sustainability. As TITAN transforms forest waste into 2G EtOH, this high-value bioethanol becomes a precursor for the production of SAF and Biodiesel. The Alcohol-to-Jet pathway, a proven and eco-friendly method, unlocks the potential to cater to the aviation industry’s growing demand for sustainable alternatives. The envisioned daily output of more than 500,000 litres is a testament to the scalability and impact of TITAN in shaping the renewable energy landscape.
Beyond Conventional Boundaries: CRISPR and Next-Generation Outcomes
In the quest for sustainability, Syngas Project’s technical partners and innovators stand at the forefront of innovation, utilizing advanced tools like CRISPR to engineer microbes for multiple high-yield outcomes. Bacteria, yeast, and other microorganisms, traditionally associated with specific functions, are now being reprogrammed to serve a broader purpose. This groundbreaking approach allows for the customization of microbial behavior, opening avenues for the production of not only fuels but also chemicals and polymers.
In the heart of Poland, the Syngas Project, a subsidiary of London-based SOLIDEA Group Ltd, stands as a pioneering force in sustainable energy with its groundbreaking TITAN project. This short article delves into the evolution and impact of the Syngas Project, highlighting the transformative journey from the PowerCan project to the development of TITAN.
The PowerCan Project and TITAN’s Genesis:
The roots of the Syngas Project trace back to the PowerCan project at RUMIA shipyards in Gdynia in 2017, Poland. From these beginnings, the team embarked on the ambitious mission to create TITAN, initially conceived as a “Cookie Cutter” 20MW midsized, distributed, utility-scale modular Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant with two production islands. Notably, in 2019, Island Two underwent a remarkable transformation into a Microbial Fermentation Unit, showcasing the project’s adaptability and commitment to cutting-edge technologies.
In April 2023, the European Union approved the ReFuelEU Aviation proposal which imposes blending mandates on synthetic fuels for aviation, increasing from 0.7% in 2030 to 28% in 2050.
Renewable Electricity and Biofuel Production:
Island One of TITAN continues to serve as a CHP plant, providing renewable electricity on demand. This sustainable power is not only utilised to fuel TITAN’s operations but also exported, contributing to the broader energy landscape. TITAN’s capability to produce spare renewable electricity on Island One mitigates feedstock risk through “reach and cache” policies implemented to capitalise on severe weather and seemingly more common 100-year adverse climate events which could risk the short-term availability of feedstock in future.
Simultaneously, Island Two boasts the daily production of 60,000 litres of 2G EtOH (Ethanol) through microbial fermentation and adding a significant renewable fuel source to the market. Syngas Project’s strategy is to build 12 TITAN in Poland, enough 2G EtOH (Ethanol) to supply Syngas Project’s own SAF Refinery. A local SAF refinery in Poland would establish Polish Airports as the most desirable hubs in Europe for local and intercontinental carriers feeding passengers in and out of Europe and from Europe’s dead centre, SAF being the main catalyst for success.
Across Poland and much of Europe, the five-bin municipal waste system is failing. Despite years of education campaigns, most citizens remain confused by sorting rules. Packaging is often made from mixed materials—paper laminated with plastic, food cartons with metal linings, shoes composed of textile, rubber, and leather. Even when sorted “correctly,” these materials frequently end up rejected, incinerated, or landfilled.
The ASMARA platform, developed by the Syngas Project, was designed not to patch the system—but to replace it entirely. With just two simple categories—wet and dry—ASMARA enables more than 80% of material and energy value to be recovered, turning municipal waste into a powerful asset for local economies, aligned with the EU’s most ambitious directives.
Why the 5-Sort System Is Broken
The EU’s Waste Framework Directive (2008/98/EC) and the updated Directive (EU) 2018/851 set targets of 55% municipal waste recycling by 2025 and less than 10% landfill by 2035. But Poland, like many EU countries, remains well below these targets in practice.
High contamination rates, mis-sorting, and materials that can’t be recycled using current infrastructure result in true material recovery rates closer to 30–40%—far below the thresholds set by the EU Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP).
This is where ASMARA comes in.
ASMARA: Two Bins, One Platform, Maximum Value
Instead of relying on material type, ASMARA sorts by moisture content and energy potential:
Dry waste (plastics, cardboard, composites, rubber, textiles) is gasified to produce Hydrogen Producer Gas (HPG). That gas is then used to power the system and feed into Targeted Microbial Fermentation (TMF) tanks to produce bio-ethanol, chemicals, and biodegradable polymers.
Wet waste (food, green organics, bio-sludge) is processed in GasCAN RNG units to produce Renewable Natural Gas (RNG)—a clean methane stream suitable for injection into any of Poland’s 600+ gas grid connection points.
This two-bin model is easier for citizens, cheaper for municipalities, and more effective for the environment. It eliminates sorting confusion, reduces contamination, and transforms nearly all waste into usable products.
RNG + TMF: Closing the CO₂ Loop
Traditional biogas systems rely on internal combustion engines, which are capital-intensive and inefficient, often making up 60% of biogas project CAPEX. ASMARA uses containerised RNG units that strip out CO₂ and compress methane for direct grid use—no engine, no noise, no combustion losses.
But ASMARA doesn’t waste the captured CO₂.
Instead, the CO₂ becomes a valuable feedstock for the TMF fermentation lines in both ASMARA and its rural counterpart, TITAN. Here, microbes convert CO₂ and carbon-rich HPG into bioplastics, fuels, and specialty materials, completing a closed-carbon cycle that meets and exceeds the goals of Directive 2018/2001 on renewable energy, which promotes advanced biofuels and carbon recycling.
Exceeding EU Material Recovery Thresholds
ASMARA enables:
>80% recovery of energy and material value from MSW
Zero landfill output (fully diverting organic waste)
Zero incineration, avoiding toxic emissions and ash residues
Grid-injected methane and renewable CO₂ reuse
This positions municipalities for compliance with the European Green Deal, Fit for 55, and EU Methane Strategy mandates. ASMARA turns regulatory pressure into local opportunity.
Local Value, National Security
ASMARA isn’t just a waste solution—it’s a local development engine. Each platform:
Generates renewable heat and power
Produces advanced materials locally from waste
Creates jobs in waste valorisation, logistics, and operations
Enhances resilience against energy shocks like those triggered by the war in Ukraine
By rolling out ASMARA alongside Poland’s existing biogas potential, supported by GasCAN RNG and national grid access, Poland can achieve true material sovereignty—reducing dependence on imported fossil carbon while building new capacity to support electrification and industrial decarbonisation.
Conclusion: ASMARA Is Simpler, Smarter, and Ready Now
The five-bin system overcomplicates a problem that ASMARA solves with elegant logic and cutting-edge technology. Citizens sort by wet vs. dry. ASMARA takes care of the rest. And what comes out is not waste, but clean fuel, valuable materials, and circular industrial inputs.
Two bins. One platform. A circular future for Poland.
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At the end of World War II, the United States faced an urgent dilemma. The Axis powers, though defeated militarily, had amassed a trove of scientific breakthroughs—in rocketry, fuels, metallurgy, and chemical synthesis—that risked falling into Soviet hands. Rather than destroy this knowledge, the U.S. launched Operation Paperclip, a secret program to recruit over 1,600 German and Austrian scientists, engineers, and technologists.
Among them were individuals who had worked on the V-2 rocket, nerve agents, synthetic fuels, and aviation—some of the most advanced military-industrial technologies of the era.
Though controversial, Paperclip was not just about weapons. It was about sovereignty through knowledge. The U.S. understood that if it wanted to lead the world, it had to own the future—scientifically, industrially, and ideologically.
It succeeded. Paperclip gave America NASA, advanced materials, synthetic chemistry, and the infrastructure of the Cold War economy.
