Building the digital foundation for circular growth

DESOTEC operates at the heart of the circular economy. The company regenerates activated carbon used by industrial customers to clean air and water streams. Once saturated, the carbon returns to DESOTEC, where it is processed so it can be reused again.

At the core of this process are DESOTEC’s regeneration furnaces. Activated carbon, once saturated with contaminants from customer environments, is heated in these furnaces at high temperatures. During this process, contaminants are destroyed and the carbon is restored so it can be reused again.

This closed-loop model allows DESOTEC to significantly reduce waste and limit the need for new raw materials. But it comes with a challenge.

The regeneration process is energy-intensive. Gas consumption in the furnaces directly impacts efficiency, cost and CO₂ emissions. Reducing that footprint is part of how DESOTEC puts its sustainability ambitions into practice.

DESOTEC is not only helping customers reduce emissions. The company applies the same ambition internally, where energy optimisation plays a key role in scaling a truly circular model.

Understanding what drives energy consumption

Each batch of carbon behaves differently. Depending on the type of carbon, the level of contamination and the furnace configuration, gas consumption can vary significantly.

DESOTEC already monitored gas usage and temperature profiles. The team could detect deviations and follow trends, but decisions were mainly based on experience and process knowledge.

What was missing was a clear, data-driven understanding of what actually drives those differences.

Data was spread across systems, not always aligned, and difficult to connect to process outcomes. As a result, optimisation remained reactive.

DESOTEC wanted to move towards a more controlled process, where operators can anticipate and optimize.

Building the foundation

Together with Cegeka, DESOTEC launched a Proof of Value to explore how data and AI could support that shift.

The first focus was not modelling, but data.

Process data from the furnaces, sensor readings and quality data were brought together, cleaned and structured into a reliable dataset. This createda consistent view across the full regeneration process.

For DESOTEC, that step alone delivered immediate value.

“For the first time, we can see the positive outcome data-driven insights have on our gas consumption. The combination of structured data and AI insights gives us a level of clarity we didn’t have before.”

 

Annabel Deldaele, DESOTEC

On top of that foundation, Cegeka introduced models to analyse how temperature profiles, carbon types and process parameters influence both energy consumption and output quality. The process became measurable in a whole new way[D.

Creating direction and momentum

The Proof of Value delivered something tangible. Not a finished solution, but a clear direction forward.

DESOTEC now has:

• a structured data foundation
• validated datasets linked to real process behaviour
• insight into how different furnace settings and carbon types impact consumption
• a starting point for predictive optimisation

It also confirmed an important reality. Without strong data engineering, optimisation does not scale.

From a technology perspective, the platform that was put in place plays a central role in what comes next.

“Cegeka didn’t just deliver models. They built a scalable data foundation we can continue to grow on. That is what makes this project valuable for us long term.”

 

Carl Deblaere, Group IT Director, DESOTEC

The project clarified where to focus next and accelerated the roadmap.

From project to transformation

The work with Cegeka fits into a broader shift within DESOTEC. Data-driven thinking was already on the agenda, but the project made it concrete and actionable.

The next steps are clear:

• improving data quality across furnaces and processes
• expanding datasets to cover more carbon types and scenarios
• embedding insights into operational decision-making
• extending the approach to other parts of the value chain

The Proof of Value laid the groundwork. The real impact comes from scaling this across the organisation.

Strengthening a sustainable model

For DESOTEC, this is not just about efficiency.

Optimising the regeneration furnaces means reducing gas consumption without compromising quality. That directly lowers emissions and strengthens the circular model. The less energy required to regenerate carbon, the lower the environmental impact of the entire process.

The Proof of Value marks a clear turning point. DESOTEC now has an even better understanding of its core process, from carbon input to regenerated output, and the data needed to improve it.

The next step is to turn that understanding into structural optimization and developing models which can run in ‘production’ to help optimize operations going forward.