We believe waste is a resource

From a napkin sketch to industry-leading technology

One summer evening in 2014, six friends were discussing the mounting climate challenges of the world. One of them, the CEO of a Norwegian fish farming company, was struggling with high levels of fish manure. It was expensive to get rid of, and the impact on the climate and environment was severe.

So Claus Thulstrup pulled out a napkin. That’s where he sketched what would become the world’s first integrated steam-drying and pyrolysis solution.

Evolving beyond fish farming, co-founders Claus Thulstrup and Henning Schmidt-Petersen began looking at the high disposal costs of municipal biosolids. They wanted to help utilities solve some of their most pressing issues while reducing CO₂ emissions.

HECLA® Setores technology, as we know it today, was launched in Denmark in 2021 and has since been deployed at four Danish sites. In 2023, we expanded into Sweden, where two plants are now in operation. This track record enabled our expansion into the United Kingdom in 2026, where we were appointed technology provider to Thames Water, marking the first integrated pyrolysis plant in the country.

We are on track to become a global leader within integrated steam-drying and pyrolysis solutions, making a significant impact in municipal biosolids treatment. Our patented and proven technology is designed to remove environmental pollutants, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and recirculate scarce resources.