What Carbotura Means for Minot and Ward County

The Carbotura facility converts household and commercial waste into manufactured products using a process called Microwave Catalytic Reforming. Think of it as a high-temperature manufacturing process — not burning, not incineration. Waste goes in; manufactured materials like graphite come out. The process happens in a sealed, oxygen-free environment with no open flame and no combustion.

No. Incineration burns waste in the presence of oxygen to generate heat. The Carbotura process operates in an anoxic (oxygen-free) environment — mechanistically incompatible with combustion. The process is classified as manufacturing, not waste treatment, under federal NAICS codes. It is regulated as an industrial manufacturing facility, not as a waste incinerator.

The initial facility processes roughly 100 tons of material per day — about the amount Ward County generates in a day. For context, that is roughly the footprint of a mid-size industrial building on approximately 10–20 acres. Future expansion up to 2,000 tons per day would require additional acreage but follows modular growth on the same industrial corridor.

Carbotura's policy is local hire first. The company works with regional community colleges — including Hill College — to develop training pathways for local residents. Operations roles, maintenance positions, and technical jobs are all accessible through apprenticeship programs. Carbotura does not fly in a workforce from elsewhere.

The jobs range across skill levels. Process operators and materials handlers are entry-level and trainable. Quality control technicians, instrumentation and controls specialists, and safety personnel require technical training. Site managers and engineers typically require college credentials. The mix at startup is roughly 60% skilled trades and operations, 30% technical, 10% management and administration.

The Carbotura facility is designed and permitted as an industrial manufacturing facility — held to the same standards as other manufacturing plants. The process is enclosed, oxygen-free, and produces no open flame, no combustion emissions, and no ash. Permitting through the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality (NDDEQ) requires a full environmental review, including air quality and groundwater impact assessment, before any facility can operate.

No. The waste is converted. The Carbotura process breaks down waste materials at the elemental level and recombines them into manufactured products — primarily graphite and other carbon-based materials. A small fraction of inorganic material that cannot be converted is handled as standard industrial residual under applicable regulations. The conversion efficiency is designed for maximum material recovery.

The Carbotura process is designed to destroy PFAS compounds in incoming waste streams. This is a meaningful distinction from landfilling, where PFAS accumulates in leachate and potentially contaminates groundwater over decades. The facility positions Ward County ahead of new federal PFAS disposal regulations expected in 2026–2027 that would make landfill disposal of PFAS-containing materials significantly more expensive.

No. Carbotura finances, builds, and operates the entire facility at its own expense under a private Build-Own-Operate structure. Ward County's only financial commitment is a per-ton processing fee on waste delivered to the facility — similar to what the County currently pays to dispose of waste at the landfill. The County takes on no construction debt, no bonding obligation, and no operating risk.

Under the agreement, Carbotura pays the County a "Circular Royalty™" — a percentage of the processing fee paid back to the County, beginning approximately 13 months after the facility opens. The royalty rate starts at 120% of the processing fee and increases slightly each year.

Existing disposal contracts are reviewed during a LOI/MOU execution before any agreement is signed. Where contracts have early-termination provisions or natural expiry dates, the transition is planned around them. Carbotura does not require the County to break any existing contract prematurely — the Deployment Study maps the transition pathway.

The decision is made by Ward County commissioners through the standard public approval process — including public notice, commissioner review, and a vote. Before any vote, a Deployment Study is completed that independently verifies all costs, revenues, and site impacts. Residents have the opportunity to review the full documentation on this portal and at any public meetings convened by the County.

There is no regulatory deadline forcing Ward County's hand. But there is a practical consequence to delay: the facility takes approximately 24 months to build from a decision date. Every six months of delay pushes the opening date — and the start of royalty payments — by six months. A decision made in mid-2026 means royalty payments begin in mid-2029. A decision made two years later means royalty payments begin two years later, and that revenue is simply foregone.

The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality (NDDEQ) has jurisdiction over industrial facilities in North Dakota under North Dakota Administrative Code Title 33 Article 20 (Solid Waste Management Rules) and related statutes. As a manufacturing facility, the Carbotura plant would be permitted and inspected by NDDEQ under manufacturing facility standards. A full NDDEQ pre-application engagement is part of the Deployment Study process — before any agreement is signed, Carbotura meets with NDDEQ to confirm the permitting pathway for Ward County specifically.