The key to knowing how to select anaerobic digestion services for the best outcomes from any biogas or biomethane project lies in understanding the company structures within the AD trade.
Anaerobic digestion plants require specialized services to ensure efficient and safe operations, from designing and constructing the plant to operating and maintaining it.
With so many service providers offering various solutions, it can be challenging to select the right service providers to ensure the best outcomes for your anaerobic digestion plant. In this article, we will explore the types of specialist contractors that offer services to anaerobic digestion plant operators, highlighting the key services they provide and the top companies that offer these services.
“Best outcomes come from knowing what services are available, and engaging the services that best match your needs and budget.”
By the end of this article, you will have a better understanding of the range of services available and be better equipped to select the right service providers for your anaerobic digestion plant to ensure its success.
List Services Offered to the Anaerobic Digestion Sector
The anaerobic digestion services which are available to commercial AD plant operators are now very diverse. They cover a huge range of services as we have categorized below:
- Service contractors that clean, maintain, and operate anaerobic digestion/biogas plants
- Biogas upgrading service providers and companies that provide biomethane systems for compression as vehicle fuel (LNG) and for injection into the gas grid
- Biogas production enhancement service providers
- Anaerobic digestion system design and installation contractors
- Anaerobic digestion system maintenance and repair contractors
- Biogas storage and transport system contractors
- Biogas utilization equipment contractors
- Anaerobic digestion feedstock suppliers
- Digestate handling and processing contractors
- Environmental consultants for regulatory compliance and permitting
- Energy efficiency and process optimization consultants
- Instrumentation and control system contractors
- Project management and construction contractors
- Waste management consultants
- Laboratory analysis and testing service providers.
We have tried to provide the most important services to the AD industry first. Now let's look at each one in more detail:
15 Categories of Anaerobic Digestion Services in More Detail
1 – Service contractors that clean, maintain, and operate anaerobic digestion/biogas plants
Operating an anaerobic digestion plant requires skilled personnel and specialized equipment to keep the system running smoothly. Service contractors that provide cleaning, maintenance, and operation services ensure that the plant is working efficiently and effectively. For example, Veolia provides comprehensive waste management solutions and operates anaerobic digestion plants that convert organic waste into energy and fertilizer.
Some service contractors even specialize in digging out silted-up digester tanks, disposing of the accumulated debris, and setting up the plant again for biological re-commissioning.
2 – Biogas upgrading service providers
Biogas upgrading is the process of purifying and enhancing the quality of biogas produced by anaerobic digestion. Biogas upgrading service providers utilize various technologies to remove impurities such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide from biogas, resulting in a high-quality biomethane product. One such provider is Air Liquide, which offers biogas upgrading solutions to produce biomethane for transportation and injection into the natural gas grid.
3 – Biogas production enhancement service providers
Biogas production enhancement service providers offer solutions to optimize the biogas production process, leading to increased biogas yields and improved overall plant performance.
For example, BTS Biogas provides a range of services to enhance biogas production, including optimizing feedstock mixtures, managing bacteria populations, and utilizing co-substrates to improve the efficiency of the anaerobic digestion process.
A number of companies, such as Landia offer to improve digester mixing which can enhance biogas plant process stability and raise the output without additional feedstock.
A number of companies offer specialist dosing preparations, and the best examples are the companies like Yara which offer food waste trace chemical dosing which will ensure that any AD plant fed on food waste alone will continue to run in the long-term.
4 – Anaerobic digestion system design and installation contractors (Also known as EPC Contractors)
Designing and installing an anaerobic digestion system requires expertise in various disciplines, including civil engineering, electrical engineering, and environmental science.
Anaerobic digestion system design and installation contractors usually offer turnkey solutions, from initial site assessments to detailed engineering and construction management. They will usually also offer to commission and operate the biogas facilities they design and build.
One example is Xergi, a company that specializes in designing and building anaerobic digestion systems for various applications, including food waste, agriculture, and wastewater treatment. Another is Marches Biogas.
5 – Anaerobic digestion system maintenance and repair contractors
Routine maintenance and repair of anaerobic digestion systems are essential to ensure consistent operation and maximize the lifespan of the equipment. Anaerobic digestion system maintenance and repair contractors offer a range of services, including routine inspections, cleaning, and equipment replacement. An example of such a company is Biogas Systems, which provides maintenance and repair services for biogas plants, including mechanical and electrical components.
6 – Biogas storage and transport system contractors
Biogas produced by anaerobic digestion needs to be stored and transported to its intended use location, such as a biogas upgrading plant or a CHP (combined heat and power) unit.
Biogas storage and transport system contractors design and build gas storage facilities and transport systems, ensuring safe and efficient delivery of biogas. One such company is Cryostar, which specializes in providing gas transportation and storage solutions for various applications, including biogas.
7 – Biogas utilization equipment contractors
Biogas can be utilized in various applications, including CHP units, boilers, and even as a transportation fuel. Biogas utilization equipment contractors design and install equipment and systems that can utilize biogas in different applications.
For example, Clarke Energy provides a range of biogas CHP systems for various applications, utilizing biogas to generate electricity and heat for on-site use or injection into the grid.
8 – Anaerobic digestion feedstock suppliers
The success of an anaerobic digestion plant depends heavily on the quality and quantity of the feedstock used. Increasingly, food waste, for example, will become a more valuable commodity and it makes sense for the MRF and ERF and general skip waste and commercial waste recyclers to depackage and separate their waste. By doing that at the recycling facility is efficient as the “reject stream” output on non-organic materials can be simply added to the sorting conveyor lines ready for recycling.
Anaerobic digestion feedstock suppliers provide organic materials that can be used as feedstock (pulp or “soup”) for anaerobic digestion, ensuring a consistent and high-quality supply.
For example, Keenan Recycling Limited provides food waste collection and recycling services, diverting food waste from landfill, and digesting it at a variety of local AD plants where it is converted into biogas and fertilizer.
9 – Digestate handling and processing contractors
Digestate is the residual material left over after the anaerobic digestion process is complete.
Digestate handling and processing contractors provide solutions to manage and process the digestate, converting it into a valuable fertilizer product that can be used in agriculture.
For example, Agrivert provides an end-to-end organic waste treatment solution, including anaerobic digestion and digestate treatment, producing high-quality compost and fertilizer.
Other companies offer special equipment for spreading digestate onto the farmer's fields in accordance with environmental regulations.
10 – Environmental consultants for regulatory compliance and permitting
Anaerobic digestion plants must comply with various environmental regulations and obtain permits from regulatory bodies to operate legally.
Environmental consultants offer services to assist with regulatory compliance and permitting, ensuring that the plant operates within legal boundaries. One such company is Horizon CE Limited, which provides environmental consulting services, including regulatory compliance and permitting, for various industries, including waste management.
11 – Energy efficiency and process optimization consultants
Energy efficiency and process optimization are critical to the success of anaerobic digestion plants. Energy efficiency and process optimization consultants offer solutions to improve plant efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and increase profitability.
By reducing the sacrificial energy use (energy used to run the plant itself) there are big gains to be obtained, and process design consultants with their wide experience of many different processes can often recommend energy efficiency measures that pay back their fees rapidly and many times over in the long term.
For example, Golder provides energy management services to optimize energy use and reduce costs for various industries, including waste management.
12 – Instrumentation and control system contractors
Instrumentation and control systems are critical components of anaerobic digestion plants, ensuring that the plant operates safely and efficiently.
Instrumentation and control system contractors provide solutions for designing, installing, and maintaining these systems. For example, Endress+Hauser provides a range of measurement and automation solutions for various industries, including waste management.
Other companies offer methane hazard monitoring equipment, and yet more now offer to use their special cameras to find any methane leaks during regular methane leakage surveys.
13 – Project management and construction contractors
Designing and constructing an anaerobic digestion plant is a complex undertaking that requires project management and construction expertise.
Project management and construction contractors offer turnkey solutions, managing the project from conception to completion. One such company is Black & Veatch, which provides project management and construction services for various industries, including waste management and the AD sector.
14 – Waste management consultants
Waste management consultants offer a range of services, to the biogas plant sector including waste characterization, waste minimization, and the management of AD systems within an overall company waste strategy.
Many Waste management consultants can also assist with the planning and implementation of anaerobic digestion plants, ensuring that the plant fits within the overall waste management strategy of organizations.
For example, Eunomia provides waste management consulting services, including waste strategy and planning, for various industries, including waste management.
15 – Laboratory analysis and testing service providers
Laboratory analysis and testing are critical components of anaerobic digestion plant operations, ensuring that the biogas and digestate produced meet quality standards.
Laboratory analysis and testing service providers offer a range of testing services, including biogas composition analysis, digestate quality analysis, and microbial analysis.
For example, Eurofins provides a range of environmental testing services, including biogas and digestate analysis, for various industries, including waste management.
Why Appoint an Anaerobic Digestion Services Company?
As the global community grapples with the effects of climate change and the need for sustainable practices, the use of anaerobic digestion technology has grown in popularity. Anaerobic digestion is a process that decomposes organic waste to produce biogas, which can be used to generate electricity, heat, and fertiliser.
Choosing the correct service provider, on the other hand, can be a daunting undertaking for enterprises and organisations intending to undertake anaerobic digestion.
With so many possibilities, it can be tough to decide which firm to entrust your trash management needs to. In this post, we will look at how to choose anaerobic digestion services for the greatest results, as well as what to look for when selecting a supplier.
This article will provide essential insights to help you make an informed decision, whether you are a business owner aiming to reduce your environmental effect or a waste management specialist wishing to grow your services.
It would be easy for those new to the anaerobic digestion and biogas scene to become confused. Not least about the terms used to describe each type of anaerobic digestion (AD) company.
Terms Used to Describe Each Type of Anaerobic Digestion (AD) Company
We know that this is a fact because we often get requests for quotations for biogas plants. Yet, the nature of the request is one which, as consultants, we cannot quote for.
Read on to find out more about AD plant construction company selection:
Hint 1: What is the Main Difference Between Anaerobic Digestion Services in the West Compared with those in the Less Developed Nations?
In the industrializing nations by far the biggest demand for AD skills is for the installation of relatively small manual gravity-fed buried anaerobic digestion systems. These are built usually in stone or brick and assembled on-site using skilled labour trained in this type of domestic and livestock farm digester.
In countries like China, India, and quite a few African states such as Kenya, Tanzania, and Nigeria, a search for biogas companies will result in many hundreds of small low-tech businesses. The task becomes one of finding a reputable company not too far away, to avoid high travel costs.
By contrast, the anaerobic digestion services of the developed nations are set up to build much larger and more technologically advanced commercially operated AD Plants.
The main difference between the two types of anaerobic digestion services is therefore size, and the technology used.
Hint 2: Are “Anaerobic Digestion” Services Companies the Same as “Biogas” Companies?
The answer is usually, Yes, but not always. In the industrializing nations the term “anaerobic digestion” is rarely used, and instead “biogas” is used.
Clients in these locations needing an anaerobic digestion plant to be designed and installed for them would do best to search for a “biogas plant installer” or a “biogas plant services company”.
Small Scale Biogas Plants and Local Biogas Community Networks
In under-developed nations, a biogas plant is often small and serves one homestead or subsistence farm. AD plant has a slightly different meaning than that in developed nations. Where this applies there are few anaerobic digestion plant operator services companies.
In western countries such as those in Europe, the US, South America, etc., there are comparatively few home or small community biogas plants. This reflects the fact that few if any, wealthy residents want to have a home biogas plant. They are perceived as smelly and dirty.
The home and community biogas plants that there are in the developed nations, tend to be co-operatives and run by community groups. Groups that often have a low profile in the region, but once contacted will often be happy to pass on expertise to individuals that need help.
Being very willing to instruct others interested in sharing their skills in building small biogas plants they are worth finding. If you ask around locally you may find biogas plant self-help groups are active near you. If so, joining one can be the best way to learn how to design and operate a home or small farm biogas plant on a budget.
Commercial Biogas Plant Companies
Biogas Plants in the developed world are much larger than in the developing world. They are usually above-ground tank installations, and companies that build them are called either “anaerobic digestion companies”, or “biogas plant companies”.
It is usually the case that when a company is called a “biogas company” it either:
- Acts as a designer and installer, or
- Operates one AD Plant, or more.
If a company calls itself an anaerobic digestion company in the west, it is most often involved in providing services in the design and installation/ commissioning/ operation of AD Plants which process Residual Household Waste, Food Waste etc.
Hint 3: What are Anaerobic Digestion EPC Contractors?
Anaerobic Digestion EPC Contractors are better known as “AD plant installers“. But, they are more than that in most cases, because they usually do the anaerobic digestion plant design. By “design” we mean in which a process design is done, and the necessary tank sizes are calculated. From that, a suitably equipped, sized, and shaped AD plant is designed, and specified.
Beyond that, the Anaerobic Digestion services which act as EPC Contractors are usually expected to have the skills to commission the AD plant, upon completion of the building. And, even to train the client's staff in how to operate the equipment that they have installed.
Hint 4: What are “Turnkey” and “Package” AD Contractors?
These organizations are contractors who are EPC Contractors (designers and installers) who will carry out all the necessary work in advance of the handover. This will usually include commissioning the plant with suitable feedstock, and then a handover of the completed and operational Anaerobic Digestion Plant for the client to operate it.
If the AD plant budget will stand it, it makes good sense to sign an initial operating period into the Construction Contract. During this operating period, it is the responsibility of the Turnkey Contractor to demonstrate the equipment works.
Hint 5: Why Do Clients Instruct AD Consultants?
Anaerobic digestion consultants are available that offer Anaerobic Digestion services, who specialize in nothing but advising clients on their biogas plants.
Before the project is built they can be essential to help the biogas plant promoter put together a fully costed business plan for installing the AD plant. Robust cost estimates need to be worked up to show how the installation will earn a profitable level of income. This needs to be done in a way that will show investors that the project is a safe money-earning and “bankable” opportunity.
AD consultants, when they do their job well, can save the promoters of these plants many thousands of dollars. Avoiding costs in delays in getting such essentials as planning permission granted is one. Another is skillfully selecting suitable feedstocks available in the market. Feedstocks selected need to be available for processing all year round at a reasonable acquisition price, at the location of a specific AD plant.
Anaerobic Digestion services Consultants are used in developed nations, at least in part, to take the burden of organizing the project (project management). They can often also be useful to ensure that the biogas equipment is bought and installed fully in accordance with the contract agreement. This is so that the AD plant is of the intended (hopefully high) quality, and that the equipment will act as desired in order to be reliable for the business using it.
Conclusion to Finding Anaerobic Digestion Services for the Best Outcomes
There is a very wide variety of anaerobic digestion services available. Clients setting out on any biogas plant project may choose a full-service, single-point-of-contact EPC company.
At one extreme, they will award a single Contract for Design, Construction, and Commissioning and when all is done they will turn the key on their new facility all fully operational on completion/ handover day.
Alternatively, at the other end of the spectrum, a client may seek to administer the entire project by separate contracts. In such instances work will be awarded to a large number of specialist anaerobic digestion contractors, with the client or his consultant co-coordinating every stage.
There are benefits in both approaches arising from many factors, but the first stage in any selection of anaerobic digestion services to build and commission any biogas plant is understanding the types of available companies as outlined here.
Please, do give us your feedback by commenting in the comment box below, if you have time.
[First published 15 November 2017: Updated March 2023.]
How many biogas EPC contractors are there which truly provide the whole package? Don’t most make out they do, and only later you discover parts have been quietly subcontracted out.
Probably no more than half a dozen companies provide their own in-house equipment for all parts of an AD plant. Does this really matter if the EPC Contractor only uses high quality equipment?