Anaero Technology, a UK-based company focused on anaerobic digestion (AD) research, stresses the importance of their work on a global scale. They emphasize that anaerobic digestion of degradable materials like food waste, agricultural by-products, energy crops, wastewater sludge, and food processing waste is a highly sustainable treatment method for recovering energy and fertilizers.
As treatment and environmental standards continue to rise, modern AD plants are expected to uphold high operational and safety benchmarks while producing significant energy output and quality digestate to ensure profitability. Meeting these demands requires tools for accurately assessing the biogas potential of feedstock to determine pricing for treatment, yield from purchased feeds, and potential impacts from inhibitory materials.
Anaero Technology points out that while AD operators have access to process control tools like pH, Lab volatile fatty acids (VFA), CH4/CO2 content, and VFA to alkalinity ratio (FOSTAC), these tools are only beneficial once the feedstock has entered the AD plant. They do not offer insight into the treatability or potential toxic behavior of feedstock prior to entering the processing plant.
To address this gap in knowledge, Anaero Technology stresses the need for comprehensive assessments of feedstock before it enters the AD plant. By providing such detailed insights, they aim to help AD operators maximize their plant’s performance and profitability. With their cutting-edge technology and expertise in AD research, Anaero Technology is well-positioned to lead the way in sustainable energy recovery solutions for years to come.