Reculture: Energy from Waste. Architecture practice Studio DuB has teamed up with reCulture to develop potent methods for dealing with the subject of municipal solid waste (MSW). For every tonne of waste, this new method pioneered in Sweden will output 62% of the waste as fuel. The Scenario: The KingsX redevelopment will be providing us with a magnificent new stretch of townscape. It is inevitable that such expansion will add tonnes of domestic waste per year to London’s current output. Will we change our habits to reduce this burden? Or will we recognise the process, accept it and even profit by it employing new technology to do so? The Proposition: The developer would purchase some or all of their electricity from a supplier served by the surplus generated by a reCulture thermal recovery plant. The process operates under a closed system and could potentially be located in one of the more challenging commercial spaces alongside the rail hubs. There would be synergetic benefits being close to Kings Cross enabling combined heat and power (CHP) to be viable for the new accommodation and use of surplus clean water produced by the plant. The Reasoning: Direct incineration and land-filling are the primary methods of processing domestic waste today. The most popular approach involves extensive sorting at source, incurring costs in educating the public and increasing waste transportation costs. The alternative, manual sorting at a waste transfer station, drastically increases the cost of waste management, as well as introducing delays, health risks and emissions. The patented reCulture process, developed by reCulture AB,Stockholm offers thermal recovery of clean energy from domestic waste, yet does not require any changes in current waste collection methods. The mechanical and biological treatment (MBT) process at the core of reCulture is based on a technique used in the recovery of cellulose fibre from recycled paper. Ordinary mixed waste is converted into bio fuel while water, salts and non-combustible materials are recovered in a closed-loop system. Importantly, the process results in less than 1% waste to landfill (4% if no market for 'clean' ash), embracing EEC diversion from this practise and allowing national targets to be met / exceeded. A full-scale trial conducted in Sweden has confirmed the efficiency of the process. The Process: The reCulture system employs water as a dissolving and splitting agent, as well as a transportation medium. In this manner the components of domestic waste that present major environmental hazards if incinerated can be removed at an early point in the process. The waste is dissolved using a ratio of 96% water to 4% domestic waste. The mixture is powerfully circulated in a disintegrator at 70ºC with the result that the waste splits into fractions, without the use of chemicals. A typical juice carton, for example, will be split into cellulose fibres, aluminium foil and plastic. Through the reCulture process almost all of the waste volume is recovered and less than 1% must be land-filled or destroyed The ash from the burning of the fuel constitutes a mere 3 - 4% of the initial waste volume, and has its own potential uses as fertiliser, in-fill material, or in cement/concrete manufacture. The reCulture fuel has a more stable moisture content and higher calorific value than common biomass fuels. On comparison with incineration of unsorted domestic waste and other types of RDF, considerably larger amounts of energy are obtained. Winner RIBA Green Dragons Den