Anaero Technology, a UK-based research company, is dedicated to advancing the field of anaerobic digestion (AD) on a global scale. AD involves breaking down degradable materials such as food waste, agricultural by-products, energy crops, wastewater sludge, and food processing waste to recover energy and fertilizers. With the increasing demand for treatment and environmental sustainability, modern AD plants need to meet high operational and safety standards while producing high energy output, generating good quality digestate, and ultimately being profitable. To achieve this goal, tools are needed to assess the biogas potential of feedstock in a timely manner to determine pricing, yield, and potential impact from inhibitory feeds.
While AD operators have various process control tools at their disposal such as monitoring pH, Lab volatile fatty acids (VFA), CH4/CO2 content, VFA to alkalinity ratio (FOSTAC), these tools only provide information about the conditions within the AD plant once the feedstock has entered it. Anaero Technology highlights that these tools do not confirm the treatability or toxic behavior of feedstock entering AD plants. This calls for more comprehensive assessment methods that can provide accurate information on the quality and suitability of feedstock before it enters the plant.
Anaero Technology’s innovative solutions aim to address this challenge by providing real-time monitoring and analysis of biogas potential in feedstock using advanced technologies such as gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy and machine learning algorithms. By doing so, they help operators make informed decisions about pricing strategies based on accurate data on feedstock quality before it enters the plant. This allows them to optimize their processes while reducing costs associated with low-quality or unsuitable feedstocks.
In conclusion, Anaero Technology’s dedication to advancing anaerobic digestion technology is critical in addressing growing demands for sustainable treatment solutions in various industries. Their innovative solutions provide real-time monitoring and analysis of biogas potential in feedstocks which will enable operators to make informed decisions leading to optimized processes while reducing costs associated with low-quality or unsuitable feedstocks.
