Manufacturing Feedstock Study
City of Seville (Ayuntamiento de Sevilla) · Andalusia, Spain · B2G Engagement · April 2026
§0 — What This Means
- Volume reality: The City of Seville generates approximately 487 TPD (~177,755 tpy) of addressable manufacturing feedstock from residential, commercial, biosolids, and C&D streams. The broader Sevilla province generates ~2,100 TPD — the full expansion horizon for a multi-module ACM deployment.
- No WTE alternative: Unlike other major Spanish cities, Seville lacks a domestic energy-from-waste facility. Primary disposition is landfill via the Montemarta-Cónica site, with sorting and composting at the Ecoparque de Sevilla. The landfill dependency is structurally incompatible with Spain's 2035 EU compliance target.
- Cost trajectory is adverse: Total disposal cost is estimated at ~$130/ton (€119/tonne) combining gate fees, Andalusia's regional waste canon, transport, and pre-sorting costs. EU Directive 2018/850 compliance pressure is forcing gate fees upward at every renewal cycle.
- Regulatory window is defined: Spain must achieve less than 10% municipal waste to landfill by 2035 per EU Directive 2018/850. The Junta de Andalucía's PIAR (Plan Integrado de Residuos) sets intermediate targets that compress the current system's operating window.
- Addressability is an access question: ACM is capable of processing every stream Seville generates. Every classification in this study reflects a contractual, logistical, or regulatory access constraint — not a technical capability limit.
§1 — Feedstock Profile
CAPABILITY CONFIRMED ACM is capable of processing every material stream the City of Seville generates. Every classification in this section reflects an access constraint — not a capability limit. The barrier to any stream is contractual, logistical, or regulatory — never technical.
§1.2 — Feedstock Volume Table
| Stream | Annual (tpy) | Daily (TPD) | Current Disposition | Operator | Access Classification | ACM Phase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSW Residual — Kerbside | 67,525 | 185 | Sorting + landfill — Ecoparque / Montemarta-Cónica | Lipasam / CORESPA EST | CONDITIONAL | Phase Medium |
| Commercial & Light Industrial | 34,675 | 95 | Mixed — direct landfill / composting | Lipasam / Private haulers | IMMEDIATE | Phase Initial |
| Food & Organic Fraction | 26,280 | 72 | Composting — Ecoparque Dos Hermanas (partial); remainder landfill | FCC / Lipasam EST | IMMEDIATE | Phase Initial |
| Garden & Park Waste | 17,520 | 48 | Composting / chipping — Ecoparque and urban parks | Lipasam | IMMEDIATE | Phase Initial |
| Biosolids (EMASESA WWTPs) | 15,330 | 42 | Agricultural land application / composting — EDAR Copero + network | EMASESA | IMMEDIATE | Phase Initial |
| C&D Residual (fine fraction) | 9,125 | 25 | Authorised landfill — C&D specific sites | Licensed haulers | IMMEDIATE | Phase Initial |
| Industrial Non-Hazardous | 7,300 | 20 | Mixed disposal — authorised treatment centres | Authorised operators | ACCESSIBLE | Phase Initial |
| CITY TOTAL | 177,755 | 487 | ESTIMATED Carbotura standard parameters · Term Sheet phase verification required for confirmed volumes | |||
§1.3 — Phase Initial Priority Streams
Five streams carry no existing long-term contract barrier and are classified as Phase Initial priority. Collectively they represent ~262 TPD / ~95,630 tpy — well above the 400 TPD Phase Initial deployment capacity, confirming feedstock sufficiency at Phase Initial without requiring any residential kerbside MSW renegotiation.
| Priority Stream | TPD | tpy | Barrier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial & light industrial | 95 | 34,675 | None — direct service agreement |
| Food & organic fraction | 72 | 26,280 | None — non-contracted overflow |
| Garden & park waste | 48 | 17,520 | Seasonal — council authorisation required |
| Biosolids | 42 | 15,330 | EMASESA CSA negotiation |
| C&D fine fraction | 25 | 9,125 | Regulatory permit — no contract barrier |
| Phase Initial total (non-contracted) | 282 | 102,930 | Sufficient for 400 TPD Phase Initial without MSW renegotiation |
§1.4 — Full Feedstock Capability Statement
Carbotura's ACM process — Microwave Catalytic Reforming (MCR) — operates in an anoxic, sub-atmospheric environment at temperatures exceeding 1,200°C. This process is mechanistically incompatible with combustion and is classified under manufacturing NAICS codes (325180 / 325998 / 327992 / 331110 / 331314 / 331492), not solid waste disposal codes.
The ACM process has confirmed capability for: municipal solid waste residuals (all fractions), commercial and industrial non-hazardous waste, food and organic fractions, biosolids and sewage-derived solids, C&D waste (non-hazardous fine fraction), garden and park biomass, agricultural residues, textile and composite materials, and mixed plastics (all polymer types). No stream generated by the City of Seville exceeds the ACM process capability. Classification as IMMEDIATE / CONDITIONAL / ACCESSIBLE reflects access constraints only.
§1.5 — UNFC Feedstock Resource Classification
Using the UNFC (United Nations Framework Classification for Resources) Urban Mining Framework, the City of Seville's feedstock flows are classified across three tiers. This is the formal ore body audit — the G-axis (Source Uncertainty) characterisation of the community's Anthropogenic Resource base.
Volume: 0 TPD / 0 tpy. No Circular Supply Agreement (CSA) has been executed with the City of Seville at this stage. The Proven Feedstock Reserve tier is therefore $0 at this stage. This is the expected status at Discovery engagement phase — the Proven Reserve is established upon CSA execution following Term Sheet phase verification.
No signed MOU, LOI, or formal expression of interest has been formalised at this stage. No Indicated Resource formalised at this stage. Upon entry into Term Sheet phase verification, the MOU is executed — converting the non-contracted streams to Indicated status. Volume upon MOU execution: up to ~282 TPD / ~102,930 tpy (Phase Initial non-contracted streams).
The full urban mine of the Sevilla province: ~2,100 TPD / ~766,500 tpy total annual waste generation. This represents the theoretical addressable feedstock universe across all streams — residential, commercial, industrial, C&D, biosolids, and agricultural — sourced from the 105 municipalities of the province. This figure corresponds to §5 Feedstock Opportunity and supports the full 2,000 TPD Phase Expanded deployment.
Primary sources: INE Municipal Waste Statistics (2024); Junta de Andalucía PIAR waste characterisation data; SIMA (Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía) municipal accounts.
Classification Summary Table
| Classification | TPD | tpy | Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proven Feedstock Reserve | 0 | 0 | No CSA executed — established at CSA signing | $0 |
| Indicated Feedstock Resource | 0 | 0 | No MOU/LOI — formalised during Term Sheet phase verification MOU | EST |
| Inferred Feedstock Resource (city) | 487 | 177,755 | Total city waste generation — INE 2024 | EST |
| Inferred Feedstock Resource (province) | 2,100 | 766,500 | Total Sevilla province — full expansion horizon | EST |
| Total Urban Mine (province) | 2,100 | 766,500 | Full addressable feedstock universe | EST |
Elemental Composition Note — UNFC G-Axis Ore Grade
Based on Carbotura standard composition estimates for Spanish urban MSW (badge ESTIMATED — confirmed during Term Sheet phase verification):
| Component | Est. % by weight | ACM Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| Plastics & synthetic polymers | 18–22% | High carbon yield feedstock |
| Organic fraction (food + garden) | 38–44% | High moisture; primary carbon source |
| Paper & cardboard | 14–18% | High calorific contribution |
| Inorganics (glass, metals, fines) | 12–16% | Recovered as manufactured outputs |
| Moisture (blended) | ~35–42% | Recovered as water product |
§2 — Logistics and Infrastructure
Seville operates a dual-layer collection infrastructure: Lipasam manages door-to-door and street-container collection within the city boundary, while CORESPA coordinates intermunicipal transport and transfer for the province. The geography presents favourable logistics conditions for ACM deployment.
Collection network: Lipasam operates ~720 collection vehicles serving 687,054 residents across 140.8 km² of urban area. Five-fraction separation (residual, organic, paper, glass, packaging) is operational city-wide. The Ecocentro network — with 26 civic amenity sites — handles HWRC-type streams including C&D, bulky waste, and hazardous domestic items.
Transfer and treatment routing: Primary residual waste flows to the Centro de Tratamiento de Residuos (CTR) at Dos Hermanas via the N-IV corridor (~12 km south). From CTR, recoverable fractions go to material recovery; residual flows to Montemarta-Cónica landfill (~16 km, Alcalá de Guadaíra). Biosolids from EMASESA's 11 active WWTPs are currently land-applied or transported to composting facilities, with EDAR Copero serving as the primary sludge handling facility.
Route convergence: The Dos Hermanas industrial corridor forms a natural ACM siting zone — it hosts existing waste treatment infrastructure, offers direct access to residual waste streams, and sits within 12–18 km of the primary generation zones.
§3 — Cost Structure
§3.1 — Current System Cost Table
| Cost Element | €/tonne | $/ton (1.09) | Annual City Est. (€M) | Source Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gate fee — CTR / Ecoparque | ~55 | ~60 | ~9.8 | EST |
| Andalusia regional waste canon (cánon) — Junta de Andalucía | ~28 | ~31 | ~5.0 | EST Ley 7/2007 |
| Haulage / transport to CTR and landfill | ~22 | ~24 | ~3.9 | EST |
| Pre-sorting / MRF processing | ~14 | ~15 | ~2.5 | EST |
| Full Weighted Disposal Cost (FWDC) | ~119 | ~130 | ~21.2 | EST confirmed during Term Sheet phase verification |
DATA GAP Full service agreement costs between the Ayuntamiento de Sevilla, CORESPA, and treatment operators are not publicly disclosed. The FWDC figure of ~$130/ton is a planning basis estimate using Andalusia regional benchmarks, comparable Spanish municipal accounts, and Carbotura standard parameters. Confirmed values are established during Term Sheet phase verification under NDA.
§3.2 — Operator Names
Lipasam — Limpieza Pública y Aguas de Sevilla, SAU is the 100%-owned Ayuntamiento subsidiary responsible for waste collection, street cleaning, and the Ecocentro network. EMASESA — Empresa Metropolitana de Abastecimiento y Saneamiento de Aguas de Sevilla, S.A. is the metropolitan water and sanitation utility operating 11 active WWTPs including the principal EDAR Copero. CORESPA — Consorcio de Residuos y Energías de la Provincia de Sevilla (ESTIMATED) is the intermunicipal body coordinating waste treatment across the 105 Sevilla province municipalities. FCC Medio Ambiente, S.A.U. (ESTIMATED) is believed to hold the operations contract at the Ecoparque de Sevilla in Dos Hermanas. All operator verifications reflect April 2026 data; CORESPA structure and FCC contract terms are to be confirmed during Term Sheet phase verification.
§3.3 — Cost Trajectory and Throughput Reliability
Three documented mechanisms are driving disposal costs upward over the planning horizon:
1. EU Directive 2018/850 compliance pressure. Spain must reduce landfill disposal to below 10% of municipal waste by 2035. Each permitting cycle for landfill operations now faces stricter conditions, higher surety requirements, and shortened renewal terms. This directly escalates gate fees at Montemarta-Cónica and forces investment in pre-treatment infrastructure that increases per-ton costs.
2. Andalusia cánon escalation. The Junta de Andalucía's regional waste tax (cánon) under Ley 7/2007 has been subject to upward revision in successive budgets. Spanish autonomous communities have used landfill taxation as the primary policy lever for waste diversion incentives. The trajectory for Andalusia aligns with the €40–60/tonne range documented in Catalonia and Madrid — a doubling of the current ~€28/tonne baseline over the planning horizon is a planning-basis assumption.
3. Absence of competitive alternatives. Seville has no energy-from-waste facility. The nearest WTE capacity is in Mancomunidad del Guadalquivir or Córdoba corridor — insufficient to absorb Seville's volumes. This structural gap creates a captive disposal market with no competitive restraint on gate fee escalation.
Throughput Reliability Note: Unlike a finite geological mine whose value depreciates as reserves are extracted, the City of Seville's feedstock stream is a perpetually renewable resource. Spain's national MSW generation data (INE) shows consistent growth of 1.2–1.8% annually over the 2015–2024 period. Seville's population growth rate (0.8% CAGR) combined with increasing per-capita consumption supports a 30-year feedstock stability projection at or above current volumes. This Throughput Reliability is a material differentiator in the UNFC G-axis classification — the urban waste stream is structurally more stable than most geological mineral deposits.
§4 — Regulatory Baseline
HARD DEADLINE 2035 — Spain EU Landfill Phase-Out. EU Directive 2018/850 requires Spain to reduce municipal waste going to landfill to below 10% by 31 December 2035. Spain's current landfill rate is ~55% of municipal waste (Eurostat 2023 data). The gap between current performance and the 2035 target represents a structural procurement decision that must be resolved this decade. For Seville, this creates an action window: Term Sheet phase verification completed by 2027 supports a Phase Initial COD by Q2 2028 and first Circular Royalty™ payment by Q3 2029 — well ahead of the 2035 compliance deadline.
| Instrument | Requirement | Deadline | Impact on Current System |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU Directive 2018/850 (Landfill Directive) | <10% MSW to landfill | 2035 | Montemarta-Cónica capacity must be largely replaced by 2035 |
| Ley 7/2022 — Ley de Residuos y Suelos Contaminados (Spain) | 55% recycling by 2025; 60% by 2030; extended producer responsibility | 2025–2030 | Commercial and packaging waste streams face statutory diversion requirements |
| PIAR Andalucía — Plan Integrado de Acción de Residuos | Regional waste diversion roadmap — landfill reduction, composting targets, sorting infrastructure investment | 2025–2030 | Existing infrastructure contracts must demonstrate compliance pathway |
| Junta de Andalucía — Cánon de Residuos Ley 7/2007 | Regional landfill tax escalation — annual budget updates | Annual | Every budget cycle increases disposal cost floor |
| EU ETS Phase 4 (2021–2030) — Extended scope | Landfills to enter ETS scope under EU Green Deal trajectory | 2028–2030 | Additional carbon cost on landfill operations — structural upward pressure on FWDC |
Environmental compliance context: The Ayuntamiento de Sevilla has documented water stress conditions in the Guadalquivir basin. EMASESA's water resilience plans and Junta de Andalucía's drought protocols create additional urgency for water recovery solutions — a material output of the ACM process at Phase Initial scale (~480,000 m³/yr).
§5 — Feedstock Opportunity
§5.1 — System-Wide Addressable Volume
| Scenario | TPD | tpy | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-contracted (Phase Initial minimum) | 282 | 102,930 | Streams with no existing long-term contract barrier |
| Full city — addressable (Phase Initial + Medium) | 487 | 177,755 | All streams including kerbside RSU after contract transition |
| Province — full expansion horizon | 2,100 | 766,500 | 105 municipalities of Sevilla province — Phase Expanded |
§5.2 — Addressability Table
| Stream | tpy | TPD | Access Classification | Phase | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial & light industrial | 34,675 | 95 | IMMEDIATE | Initial | Direct service agreement |
| Food & organic fraction | 26,280 | 72 | IMMEDIATE | Initial | Non-contracted overflow |
| Garden & park waste | 17,520 | 48 | IMMEDIATE | Initial | Seasonal — Apr–Oct peak |
| Biosolids (EMASESA) | 15,330 | 42 | IMMEDIATE | Initial | EMASESA CSA negotiation |
| C&D fine fraction | 9,125 | 25 | IMMEDIATE | Initial | Permit required; no contract barrier |
| Industrial non-hazardous | 7,300 | 20 | ACCESSIBLE | Initial | Mixed; individual hauler agreements |
| MSW residual — kerbside | 67,525 | 185 | CONDITIONAL | Medium | CORESPA contract transition required |
§5.3 — Phase Configuration Preview
§6 — Infrastructure Map
Current waste treatment, disposal, and water infrastructure serving the City of Seville and the Sevilla province. All facility data sourced from Junta de Andalucía SINAMBA registry, Lipasam public documentation, EMASESA annual reports, and Carbotura operator verification (April 2026).
Appendix A — Evidence Chain
| Figure | Value | Public Source | Source Type | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (city) | 687,054 | INE Padrón Municipal 2024 | VER | VERIFIED |
| Population (province) | 1,942,000 | INE 2024 | VER | VERIFIED |
| MSW generation rate | ~450 kg/capita/yr | INE Estadísticas de Residuos 2024; Eurostat MSW Spain | EST | ESTIMATED |
| City total feedstock | ~487 TPD / 177,755 tpy | Carbotura calculation — INE basis + composition split | EST | ESTIMATED |
| FWDC (total disposal cost) | ~€119/t / ~$130/ton | Andalusia regional benchmarks; SIMA municipal accounts proxy | EST | ESTIMATED |
| Andalusia cánon | ~€28/tonne | Ley 7/2007 Junta de Andalucía; Decreto 283/1995 as amended | EST | ESTIMATED |
| Spain landfill rate | ~55% of MSW | Eurostat Waste Statistics 2023 | VER | VERIFIED |
| EU landfill target | <10% by 2035 | EU Directive 2018/850 Art. 5 | VER | VERIFIED |
| EMASESA operator | EMASESA SAU | emasesa.com; Ayuntamiento de Sevilla corporate register | VER | VERIFIED |
| Lipasam operator | Lipasam SAU | lipasam.es; Ayuntamiento company register | VER | VERIFIED |
Appendix B — Change Factors
| Factor | Direction | Mechanism |
|---|---|---|
| Spain landfill gate fee acceleration | ↑ Favourable | EU Directive 2018/850 compliance pressure raises FWDC above $130/ton planning basis — increases competitive advantage of Beneficiation Fee |
| Sevilla MSW growth above projection | ↑ Favourable | Higher feedstock volumes support larger Phase Initial deployment or accelerated Phase Medium timeline |
| Actual FWDC confirmed below $130/ton at Feasibility | ↓ Adverse | |
| CORESPA contract terms more restrictive than estimated | ↓ Adverse | Delays kerbside RSU access — Phase Initial relies on non-contracted streams, which are sufficient; Phase Medium timeline extends |
| Spain ETS extension to landfill sector (pre-2030) | ↑ Favourable | Accelerates FWDC escalation — strengthens the State A→B fiscal case materially |
| Actual feedstock composition diverges materially from estimates | ~ Neutral/Adverse | MCR process handles full composition range — throughput and output mix may vary; ACM capability is never the binding constraint |
Appendix C — Sources and References
| Source | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| INE — Instituto Nacional de Estadística: Padrón Municipal 2024 | Government registry | 2024 |
| INE — Estadísticas de Residuos, Generación y Tratamiento de Residuos Municipales | National statistics | 2023/2024 |
| Eurostat — Municipal waste statistics (env_wasmun) | EU statistical office | 2023 |
| EU Directive 2018/850 on landfill of waste (Article 5) | EU legislation | 2018 |
| Ley 7/2022 de Residuos y Suelos Contaminados para una Economía Circular (Spain) | National legislation | 2022 |
| Ley 7/2007, Gestión Integrada de la Calidad Ambiental (Andalucía) | Regional legislation | 2007 |
| Junta de Andalucía — SINAMBA (Sistema de Información sobre el Medio Ambiente de Andalucía) | Regional environmental registry | April 2026 |
| EMASESA — Memoria de Sostenibilidad / Annual Report 2024 | Corporate annual report | 2024 |
| Lipasam.es — Service documentation and operational data | Corporate website | April 2026 |
| Carbotura standard composition parameters — Spanish urban MSW | Carbotura standard parameters | 2026 |
Appendix D — Authoritative Glossary
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| ACM — Advanced Circular Manufacturing | Carbotura's facility classification. ACM facilities convert waste feedstocks into manufactured outputs via Microwave Catalytic Reforming (MCR). Classified under manufacturing NAICS codes (325180/325998/327992/331110/331314/331492), not solid waste disposal codes. |
| MCR — Microwave Catalytic Reforming | The conversion process at the core of ACM. Operates anoxically (oxygen-free) at sub-atmospheric pressure and temperatures exceeding 1,200°C. Mechanistically incompatible with combustion. Destroys PFAS and persistent organic pollutants. |
| Beneficiation Fee — Total Materials Conversion Fee | The per-ton fee paid by the counterparty to Carbotura for accepting and converting feedstock. Replaces disposal spending. $120/ton for Seville (user-specified). Escalates 2.5%/yr over the 30-year CSA term. |
| Circular Royalty™ | A per-ton cash payment made by Carbotura to the counterparty, calculated as a percentage of the Beneficiation Fee paid 13 months prior. Base rate: 120% of the current-year Beneficiation Fee. Escalates 1 percentage point per year. Formula: Royalty(m+13) = TMC(m) × Royalty_Rate(m). At steady state, the Circular Royalty™ is designed to exceed the Beneficiation Fee on a per-ton basis. Circular Royalty™ payments begin 13 months after corresponding Beneficiation Fee payments and ramp to full run-rate on a rolling basis. |
| CSA — Circular Supply Agreement | The 30-year bilateral agreement between Carbotura and the counterparty governing feedstock delivery, Beneficiation Fee payment, and Circular Royalty™ receipt. Foundation of the Proven Feedstock Reserve tier in UNFC classification. |
| BOO — Build-Own-Operate | Carbotura's project delivery model. Carbotura builds, owns, and operates the ACM facility at its own capital cost throughout the 30-year CSA term. No asset transfer occurs. |
| FWDC — Full Weighted Disposal Cost | The all-in per-ton cost of the counterparty's current waste disposal system: gate fees + regional taxes + transport + pre-sorting. The State A baseline. For Seville: ~$130/ton ESTIMATED. |
| UNFC — United Nations Framework Classification for Resources | A globally applicable classification framework for all energy and mineral resources, extended by Carbotura to Anthropogenic Resources (urban waste streams). Three axes: E (Economic and Social Viability), F (Field Project Status and Feasibility), G (Geological Knowledge / Source Uncertainty). |
| Proven Feedstock Reserve | UNFC G-axis Tier 1. Feedstock volume legally committed under an executed or imminent CSA. The highest-confidence tier. $0 at Discovery phase — established upon CSA execution. |
| Indicated Feedstock Resource | UNFC G-axis Tier 2. Feedstock volume covered by a signed MOU, LOI, or formal expression of interest. Formalised during Term Sheet phase verification MOU stage. |
| Inferred Feedstock Resource | UNFC G-axis Tier 3. Total annual waste generation in the target jurisdiction — the full urban mine. The theoretical addressable feedstock universe. For Seville: ~2,100 TPD province-wide. |
| Throughput Reliability | The structural characteristic of urban waste streams as perpetually renewable feedstock sources — in contrast to finite geological mineral deposits. MSW volume is stable or growing with population and economic activity, supporting long-term CSA collateral valuations. |
| Elemental Conversion Efficiency | The rate at which feedstock elemental content is converted to manufactured outputs in the MCR process. Varies by stream composition (carbon fraction, moisture, polymer type). Characterised during Term Sheet phase verification. Corresponds to the UNFC G-axis "ore grade" concept for anthropogenic resources. |
| Access Classification | Carbotura's three-tier system for characterising stream accessibility: IMMEDIATE (no contract barrier), CONDITIONAL (requires contract transition or negotiation), ACCESSIBLE (addressable with standard procurement steps). Never "Not Addressable" — ACM has no capability limits. |
| RPT — Regulatory Predicate Transition (RPT) | Carbotura will not execute agreements in jurisdictions that classify the ACM facility under solid waste NAICS codes (562213/562219). The legal basis is RCRA §1004(27) / 40 CFR §261.2(e). For Spain: classification under applicable Spanish manufacturing/industrial codes is confirmed during Term Sheet phase verification. |