Process and plant design
Processing-line development, equipment selection and specification, throughput sizing and plant layouts, from individual recovery lines to integrated systems.
← About Circular Biosphere
People & expertise
Derek de Bres
From waste stream to a practical business case.
A useful technology is one part of a viable project. Derek brings process design, plant costing and commercial development together to help turn resource opportunities into projects that can be assessed, developed and taken to market.
Based in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa · Working across African and Indian Ocean markets
Technical designProcess · Equipment · Cost
Commercial developmentMarket · Relationships · Delivery
One project.
The whole picture.
The perspective
Technical thinking. Commercial follow-through.
Derek’s experience combines around four decades of entrepreneurship, sales and business development with more than 20 years focused on waste and energy. His work spans equipment and process design, supplier evaluation, plant costing, market development and project delivery.
He can help assess an early opportunity, develop the technical and financial case, or connect engineering decisions with customers, suppliers and potential funding partners. The starting point is the resource available and the product or service a market needs.
~40 yearsEntrepreneurship, sales & business development
20+ yearsFocused on waste & energy
From first question to next step
How Derek can contribute
Explore the part of your project that needs attention.
Technology and supplier assessment
Side-by-side supplier comparisons and assessment of technology suitability, with attention to the distinction between established options and speculative proposals.
Costing and commercial models
Capital and equipment costing, product-level financial modelling, packaging strategy and commercial-opportunity assessment.
Business development and delivery
Market selection, customer and supplier relationships, funding-partner engagement, brand and sales strategy, project management and implementation support.
Resources, processes, possibilities
Across the waste-to-value spectrum
Different materials need different processes and markets. Derek’s experience covers the following routes; the right configuration and end use depend on the project.
| Resource or waste stream | Process experience | Products or project focus |
|---|---|---|
| Organic and agricultural residues | Pyrolysis, biochar reactors, microbial enzyme activation, composting and digestion | Biochar, activated carbon, fertiliser and biogas |
| Fish and seafood-processing residues | Rendering, fishmeal-plant design and supplier evaluation | Fishmeal, fish oil and potential aquaculture inputs |
| Glass | Crushing, grading and cullet-recovery lines; paint-filler routes | Filtration sand, aggregate, bottle cullet and paint filler |
| PET and other plastics | PET washing, granulation, pelletising and bottle-making lines; pyrolysis assessment for non-PET plastics | Recycled PET, bottle-to-bottle output and pyrolysis oil |
| Municipal and mixed waste | Site assessment, engineered processing and separation or sorting systems | Recovery of recyclable fractions and processing-infrastructure business cases |
| Wood waste | Charcoal-production and wood-pellet systems | Charcoal and wood pellets |
| Coal fines and waste oil | Coal-fines processing and briquetting; waste-oil-to-diesel systems | Energy products and fuel-recovery projects |
| Water resources | Atmospheric water generation and water-purification systems | Water-product development and commercial planning |
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways to see each process and product.
Work across materials & markets
Selected design and project experience
A selection from Derek’s design, evaluation and development work. The scales below describe design briefs or design throughput, not verified present-day operating capacity. A project’s inclusion does not mean the facility is currently operating.
Plant design
Glass-recycling plant design
Namibia
20,000 tonnes per year design brief
Plant design covering sand-production lines, cullet recovery and a paint-filler route.
Line design
Glass-crushing and cullet line
South Africa
Up to 700 kg per hour design throughput
Glass-crushing and cullet-line design, connecting equipment selection with the intended recovered products.
Design portfolio
Solar and waste-to-energy concepts
Iraq, Mauritius, Seychelles, Zanzibar and Spain
Reported design briefs include 250 MW in Iraq and 3 MW in Seychelles and Spain
Design work across solar and waste-to-energy projects in several markets. Project type and development status vary by location.
Design and implementation support
Plastic-to-fuel pyrolysis refinery
Oman
Refinery design with support during implementation.
Design and supplier evaluation
Marine-resource recovery
Seychelles
Fish-waste and fishmeal project design, supplier comparison and evaluation of recovery routes within a wider island circular-economy programme.
Plant design and equipment sourcing
PET bottle-to-bottle recycling
Seychelles
500 kg per day design brief
PET recycling-plant design and equipment sourcing, alongside assessment of separate recovery routes for non-PET plastics.
Unit design and build
Pyrolysis, biochar and activated carbon
South Africa
Design and build experience with production units for pyrolysis, biochar and activated carbon.
Concept through commissioning
Composting pilot
A pilot taken through concept development, procurement and commissioning.
Brand and commercial development
Pure Mahé Water
Seychelles and Indian Ocean markets
An atmospheric-water-generation-based bottled-water concept, with financial modelling across product sizes and packaging strategies.
Start with your project
What resource are you working with?
Derek is available for consulting, advisory and project-lead discussions across technical design, costing and commercial strategy.
Let’s make the first conversation useful.
To start a useful conversation, describe the material or technology, location, approximate scale and current stage. Include the intended product or market and the question you need help answering.
Email Derekderek@debres.co.zaPrefer a form? Send a project enquiry