Efficiency

EXPERTISE INSIGHTS

The Hidden Impact of Compression on Biomethane Upgrading Efficiency

EXPERTISE INSIGHTS

The Hidden Impact of Compression on Biomethane Upgrading Efficiency: Why Compression Strategy Matters Across Different Biomethane Upgrading Technologies

By Adekom

When evaluating the efficiency of a biomethane plant, attention is often focused on the upgrading technology itself—whether membrane separation, PSA, water scrubbing or other processes. However, one important element is sometimes overlooked: compression.

Regardless of the upgrading technology selected, biogas compression can have a significant impact on the plant’s overall energy consumption, operating cost and long-term reliability.

The objective should therefore not simply be to select a compressor with the lowest rated power, but to develop a compression system that operates efficiently across the plant’s actual operating conditions.

Pressure is Not Free

Compression energy increases with pressure ratio. This means that excessive discharge pressure, unnecessary pressure margin and avoidable pressure losses through the system can all increase power consumption without adding value to the upgrading process.

Proper system design therefore requires the compressor operating pressure to be matched carefully with the actual requirements of the downstream process.

Correct sizing of the compressor, piping, filtration and other components can help minimize unnecessary pressure losses and reduce the energy required per unit of biomethane produced.

Matching Compression to Real Biogas Conditions

Biogas production is rarely constant throughout the operating life of a plant. Flow rate, suction pressure and gas conditions can vary according to feedstock, digester operation and other process conditions.

2 A compressor designed only around a nominal or peak operating point may consequently spend significant periods operating away from its optimal efficiency range. Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) control, combined with a high-efficiency inverter-duty explosion-proof motor, allows compressor capacity to follow actual gas production more closely, reducing unnecessary energy consumption during periods of reduced flow. For applications requiring higher pressure ratios, two-stage screw compression with intercooling can further improve compression efficiency by distributing the pressure ratio between two stages and managing compression temperature more effectively. Efficiency Beyond Electrical Consumption Energy efficiency should also consider how much of the compressor’s energy input can be utilized elsewhere in the plant. ADEKOM can provide an optional heat recovery system to recover useful heat from the compressor system for hot water applications, allowing energy that would otherwise be rejected to contribute to the plant’s overall thermal efficiency. Digitalization provides another opportunity for optimization. An IoT-based monitoring and control module enables operators to remotely monitor key operating parameters, energy consumption and equipment status, while receiving maintenance alerts in advance. monitoring performance, operators can reduce energy consumption while improving reliability and long-term plant efficiency. For more than two decades, ADEKOM has applied this system-level approach across more than 100 biogas and biomethane compression projects worldwide, combining screw compression technology, intelligent speed control, energy recovery and digital monitoring to improve energy efficiency and operational reliability in renewable gas production. This supports preventive maintenance, reduces unplanned downtime and helps maintain efficient operation throughout the equipment lifecycle. Ultimately, compressor efficiency should be evaluated as part of the complete biomethane production system, rather than as an isolated equipment specification. By matching compression capacity and pressure to real operating conditions, optimizing multi-stage compression, recovering available heat and continuously

EXPERTISE INSIGHTS

The Biology Is The Income Statement

The Biology Is The Income Statement: Why the Next Efficiency Gains in Biogas Will Come From Pricing Every Biological Decision in Real Time

By Anessa

In the biogas industry, most operators can tell you where performance was lost and when. Far fewer can tell you what it cost them. At Anessa, our financial digital twin models biogas biology and economics together, so every process signal carries a dollar value.

A plant manager can tell you where efficiency gets lost, from a late feedstock delivery to a week when acids built up without notice. The industry is getting better at collecting data and using it in hindsight. Most plants can’t turn this data into real-time decisions with a known financial value.

Data Isn’t the Finish Line

Most tools in the Anaerobic Digestion industry alert operators to unexpected changes, such as a drop in methane content or a temperature drift. What is missing is the link between those changes and their financial impact. That is where inefficiency hides.

Plant intelligence works in three layers. At the bottom is data and control: SCADA, lab results and maintenance systems (CMMS) record what’s happening.

Above it is process insight, which interprets that data against the biology. At the top is economics, which connects each biological signal to revenue, cost and risk. The Anessa Suite is that top layer, built to work with existing plant systems rather than replacing them.

Start With the Biology

A digester is a living system. Its warning signs appear well before gas output falls. Anessa's digital twin combines plant data with biological process models to track leading indicators such as volatile fatty acids (VFA), FOS/TAC ratio & ammonia, and identifies the most likely drivers of a developing deviation.

As a result, operators see biological disruptions 24 to 72 hours before conventional threshold alarms would trigger. That three-day head start allows operators to adjust feed rate instead of spending weeks nursing a sour digester back to health.

Then Put a Number On it

Biological disruptions don’t always get the CFO's attention, so for every scenario, the digital twin calculates the impact in financial terms. For example, at a retrofit RNG plant project, we helped output rise from 180,000 GJ to 230,000 GJ annually with carbon intensity dropping to -50 gCO₂e/MJ, adding CAD 1.5 million in annual revenue from existing capacity.

Efficiency is Now a Carbon Question

Efficiency meant more gas per tonne. Now it also means a lower carbon intensity score, because that sets what your gas is worth both under different low-carbon fuel standards in North America, and increasingly under RED III in Europe. A biological upset is no longer confined to an operations problem. Its effects show up in credit revenue and in the next financing conversation.

One Twin, Used Where You Need It

The Anessa Suite is modular, so the same plant model supports decisions from feasibility through daily operations.

• Simulation tests feedstock mixes, retrofits, models CAPEX, OPEX and returns, before committing capital.
• Optimization recommends feedstock recipes and operating targets that maximize gas output and lower carbon intensity within existing infrastructure
• Monitoring tracks biological and financial indicators continuously and raises early warnings when trends deviate.
• Reporting turns plant data into consistent, audit-ready figures for operators, regulators, lenders and investors.

Where the Gap Really Is

Biogas no longer has a data problem but a translation problem. The plants that lead the next decade will be the ones that can price feeding decisions, retention-time changes, or early acid signals as it happens, not retrospectively. The digester already writes the income statement; plant operators need to read it while making decisions, not after.

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EXPERTISE INSIGHTS

Your Efficiency Problem May Be Hiding in the Fine Print

Your Efficiency Problem May Be Hiding in the Fine Print

How Feedstock Contracting Can Reduce Your Operational Efficiency

By Trisha Aldovino, Process Analyst and David Ellis, Principal Engineer, Azura Associates

It’s 5:26am and half of your submersible digester mixers are down. It’s gummed up with long fibres and stringy plastic held together by rancid fats, all scooped from the floating crust in the digester. It’s going to be weeks before you can service the mixers.

Your AI model says to reduce feeding because bad mixing can increase the risk of biological upset. But unfortunately, you’re at the mercy of your feedstock contracts: you can’t just stop receiving feedstocks. So, you brace yourself for rising volatile fatty acids, erratic biogas production, and foam until the mixers get fixed.

Want to resolve process inefficiencies? Start with the terms in your feedstock contracts! The contract is where you need to protect your digester capacity, your operating flexibility, and your feedstock quality.

Take or Pay – Hidden Costs of Minimum Tonnage Requirements

One of the often-overlooked risks in anaerobic digestion feedstock agreements is the take-or-pay contract with minimum tonnage obligations. For developers seeking certainty during project development, guaranteed volume can seem like a major advantage.

On the surface, these arrangements can appear attractive. A waste generator commits to supplying a predictable quantity of material, providing feedstock security, and supporting project financing.

Your customer, the waste producer, expects a certain average tonnage, and that seems manageable to you. If they go above average, then that’s more tip fee and biogas for you.

It looks good on paper until the average creeps up and now you have to refuse other, more profitable or more flexible providers because you’re contracted to take it. The result can be less biogas production per volume of feedstock, and less revenue per cubic meter of digester volume, if you’re refusing better feedstocks.

That doesn’t even consider increased processing costs if the feedstock is highly contaminated, high in ammonia or sulfur, or prone to causing biological upset.

Guaranteed Waste Receiving Times – The Right Feedstock and the Wrong Time

The second loss occurs when a contract provides no flexibility to slow or delay higher-risk feedstocks during biological instability. Fats, oils, and grease (FOG) can deliver strong energy value under suitable conditions, but accepting them when the digester needs to reduce its feed may increase monitoring, chemical use, and recovery time.

A load that looks efficient on a tonnes or revenue basis can cost you if it displaces safer material, reduces stable gas production, or consumes scarce operator attention.

Contamination Creep - When One Percent Contamination Becomes a Major Expense

Most contracts don’t mention, or poorly articulate, contamination limits. The feedstock may be sampled only once to assess biogas potential and heavy metal content during contracting. What about contaminants such as plastics, glass grit, and large rocks noted visually after the material is sitting in your receiving pit? A guess at the processing costs is often baked into the tip fee. What happens when you’re receiving source-separated organics (SSO) from the local municipality and a change to their collection practices, or even a change in the neighbourhood they’re collecting from that day, results in a far more contaminated waste stream? Now, you accelerate wear on your equipment, reduce available tank volume, and increase the risk of downtime.

Three Ways to Reduce the Operational Impacts of Restrictive Contracts

If you must take more feedstock than ideal, turn away more flexible feedstocks to reduce the risk of overfeeding. If you cannot reduce incoming loads, Azura recommends preparing the facility to manage the additional loading.

1. Test for macro-nutrient, mineral, and trace metal balances. If your nutrition is out of balance, adjust the feedstocks that you can or, if needed, supplement to support microbial health and improve the digester’s resilience during overfeeding and biological stress events.
2. If additional foaming is expected in the receiving, hydrolyzer, or feed tank, lower the liquid level to provide more headspace and ensure adequate mixing and heating.
3. Communicate regularly with feedstock customers, particularly about their planned cleaning activities, anticipated volume changes, and other events that could affect feedstock quantity or quality. Advance notice gives your operators more time to adjust receiving and feeding plans.

The best feedstock contracts do not simply guarantee tonnes. They preserve the operator's ability to maximize biological performance, biogas production, and long-term asset value. A contract that fills the digester is not necessarily a contract that makes the digester profitable.

If your feedstock contract is affecting your facility’s performance and you want stronger technical terms in your next agreement, contact Azura Associates. We’re not lawyers, but we certainly add a practical technical perspective to your contracting process.

Expertise Insights

H₂S Removal System Underperforming?

H₂S Removal System Underperforming? Improve Efficiency with New Media Before Replacing Equipment

By Veronica Irurzun Conner, PhD ChE, Merichem Technologies

The removal of H2S from natural gas streams is not a new process. It has been implemented for decades at both fossil fuel and renewable facilities. However, as feed conditions vary and regulations increase in scope and enforcement, existing systems can struggle to meet specifications efficiently and profitably.

When this happens, is investment in a completely new system required? The short answer is not necessarily.

Find the Source of the Inefficiency

If you have a fixed-bed solid adsorbent system that is underperforming, equipment limitations may not be the only problem. Under-performance can also result from changes in H2S concentration, gas flow rate, moisture content, temperature, or pressure. Channelling, poor gas distribution and excessive pressure drop can also reduce bed efficiency or cause premature breakthrough.

Before investing in a new system, compare current operating conditions with the original ones for which the existing system was designed. Did the gas flow rate increase? Did the H2S concentration increase? Are humidity and O2 content fluctuating more than expected?

These answers can help determine whether new equipment is needed or if a simple adsorbent media replacement would improve the performance.

Improving Existing Asset Performance Without New Capital

Nowadays, operators can choose from many H2S removal technologies available, including carbon-based, metal-based and biological solutions. Some require oxygen, some do not, some can be regenerated, while others cannot. With so many options, selecting the best solution can be challenging and time-consuming.

If you have an existing asset for H2S removal that uses solid adsorbents and isn’t performing, trying different media should be the first approach. While not all solid H2S adsorbents can serve as a drop-in replacement, some can.

For example, SULFURTRAP® solid adsorbents, from Merichem Technologies, are designed to perform across a wide range of gas compositions and operating conditions. Depending on the application, SULFURTRAP® adsorbents can replace other solid media in an existing vessel. Its patented formulation provides high sulfur loading capacity without requiring oxygen, high relative humidity, or gas pre-conditioning, while maintaining low pressure drop throughout the bed life cycle.

Measuring Savings through Operational Cost Evaluation

The most appropriate way to compare different adsorbents for an operational cost evaluation is to quantify the total cost per unit mass of H2S removed ($/weight H2S removed). Total cost should include monetary and non-monetary factors that could affect overall profitability and safety.

Monetary factors include sulfur capacity, degree of bed utilization, pressure drop, changeout frequency, labour, downtime and spent-media characteristics. As an example, higher sulfur capacity, complete bed utilization, low and stable pressure drop, and less frequent labour-intensive changeouts

can deliver greater value from equipment, without the cost and disruption of installing a new system.

Non-monetary factors, such as ongoing technical support and expertise, are often overlooked, yet they can significantly influence overall operational costs.

Every site has its own challenges, and no single solution is ideal for every application. This is where an experienced vendor adds customer technical support, helps operators select the right treatment and troubleshoot performance throughout the operating lifecycle.

Before replacing an entire H₂S removal system, determine whether the existing asset can perform more efficiently with the right adsorbent. In a suitable fixed-bed application, changing the media may be the fastest and most economical route to better performance. A knowledgeable supplier should review operating data, identify the likely cause of inefficiency and provide realistic expectations.

Merichem Technologies has focused on sulfur treatment solutions for more than 50 years across renewable and conventional gas applications.

That sulfur-focused experience, combined with honest guidance and highly responsive customer technical support, helps operators select the right treatment and troubleshoot performance throughout the operating lifecycle.

Figure 2. Media photo: Merichem Technologies SULFURTRAP® UHC high-capacity adsorbent media.

Advanced H₂S Removal for Biogas

SULFURTRAP® | Zero H₂S | Lower OPEX

EXPERTISE INSIGHTS

Biogenic Carbon Testing for Biogas-Derived Fuels

Biogenic Carbon Testing for Biogas-Derived Fuels

By Benjamin Kling, Policy Research Associate, SGS Beta

Biogas-derived fuels have expanded production around the world, driven by regulatory programs, tax incentives and private decarbonization goals. A critical tool for reporting the sustainability benefits of these fuels is biogenic testing via the ASTM D6866 standard to determine renewable content.

What is Biogenic Testing?

Biogenic carbon testing uses Carbon-14 analysis to verify the amount of biogenic carbon versus fossil carbon in a sample. The carbon-14 (14C) isotope is present in all living organisms, whereas petrochemical-derived material no longer contains any carbon-14 content. Results are reported as a percentage reflecting the portion of the biofuel produced from renewable feedstocks (Figure 1). The most widely used international standard for biogenic content testing is ASTM D6866, with other similar standards such as EN 16640 used commonly in Europe. The use of recognized scientific standards has been critical to the success of clean fuel and emissions reporting regulations because they allow the governing body to verify claims and accurately assess progress.

Why Use Carbon-14 for RNG?

Fuels produced from biogas contain mostly biogenic matrices; however, they also often contain some fossil carbon content. While biogas produced from an anaerobic digester will be entirely biogenic if only organic content is digested, landfill gas is not necessarily completely biogenic. In addition, fossil components are often added when upgrading to RNG and biomethane to meet the minimum energy thresholds required by utility companies. Finally, fuels will often be commingled with fossil natural gas for distribution and storage, and are chemically indistinguishable without Carbon-14 analysis. As a result, biogenic testing can be used throughout the RNG supply chain, from initial upgrading to distribution, through to combustion (Figure 2).

Figure 1. Carbon-14 analysis results reveal the percentage of biogenic carbon in a sample.

Regulations, Standards & Incentives

There are several types of regulations and certifications which may require Carbon-14 analysis for biogas-derived fuels. These include clean fuel standards, emissions reporting programs and private certifications. Examples include:

Clean Fuel Regulations

• US EPA Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)
• EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED)
• Australia National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Scheme (NGER)

Emissions Reporting Programs

• US Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP)
• Canada Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP)
• EU Emissions Trading System (ETS)
• UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)

Private certifications

• ISCC EU RED
• RSB Advanced Fuels Certification
• UNFCCC ACM0022Conclusion

Relying on a recognized scientific standard to report biogenic content is key for producers to demonstrate the sustainability benefits driving the biogas industry’s growth.

Given the complexity of the RNG industry, where fuels are often produced and upgraded at different facilities, as well as commingled for distribution and storage, Carbon-14 analysis is a critical tool for quantifying and tracking biogenic carbon throughout the supply chain.

Since the environmental benefit of displacing fossil content with biogenic content in natural gas applications is driving the industry’s expansion, and the two are otherwise chemically indistinguishable, stakeholders should rely on Carbon-14 for high-quality verification throughout the biogas-to-RNG supply chain.

Click HERE to check the list of references for this article

Expertise Insights

WAGABOX®: Engineering Efficiency for Landfill Gas in Latin America

By Waga Energy

Landfill gas is a highly variable resource: its composition, flow rate and air content fluctuate from one site to another, and often over time within the same site.

Turning this resource into pipeline-quality renewable natural gas (RNG) efficiently requires a process designed to handle these variations. Across Latin America, Waga Energy's experience illustrates how this adaptability underpins efficient, replicable deployment of landfill gas valorization projects.

At the heart of this approach is WAGABOX®, a technology specifically designed to accommodate the variability of landfill gas while consistently producing pipeline-quality RNG.

A Technology Built Around Variability

WAGABOX® technology combines membrane filtration and cryogenic distillation to upgrade raw landfill gas into RNG, regardless of fluctuations in methane concentration, and the technology can accommodate air content of up to 35% in the raw gas.

This tolerance to oxygen and nitrogen can, in some cases, allow for stronger suction within the waste mass, extracting more landfill gas from the site without compromising renewable natural gas quality at the outlet. This modular design allows the technology to be deployed on sites of very different sizes and profiles, while maintaining consistent gas quality.

The same engineering principle applies everywhere Waga Energy operates: each site is assessed individually, and the unit is then configured from a standardized design, adapted rather than rebuilt from scratch to match local technical and regulatory conditions, an approach that also helps keep costs under control.

Manizales, Colombia: A Case Study in Technical Feasibility

A clear illustration of this approach is the feasibility study conducted at the La Esmeralda Environmental Technology Park in Manizales, Colombia, supported by the French government's FASEP programme. The study assessed waste composition, landfill gas production, collection infrastructure, gas

Figure 1. Sharing Waga Energy's expertise at Congresso ANDESCO 2026 in Colombia

renewable natural gas in the national energy mix. In both countries, the same methodology applies: a thorough, site-by-site assessment of gas availability and local conditions, followed by a technology configuration designed for long-term operational efficiency rather than generic deployment.

From Landfill Gas to Pipeline: Efficiency at Every Step

Landfill gas is never a standard resource, wherever it is produced. The real measure of efficiency is not what a technology promises on paper, but how effectively it adapts to the unique conditions of each site. That is the lesson Waga Energy draws from its deployments across the world, Latin America included: efficiency is built, not installed.

By investing in and operating its own facilities, Waga Energy goes beyond demonstrating that RNG production is technically feasible. The company commits to delivering reliable performance over the long term, ensuring that each project continues to generate environmental and economic value throughout its operational life.

Figure 2. Waga Energy at ABiogás Forum 2026, discussing RNG opportunities in Brazil

quality and network-injection conditions, and confirmed the technical feasibility of producing RNG suitable for pipeline injection while avoiding significant greenhouse-gas emissions.

Beyond the technical results, the Manizales project also involved extensive dialogue with institutional stakeholders and the transfer of biogas and RNG skills to local instructors through dedicated webinars and a study visit to France.

It confirms a broader lesson: efficiently developing a new market requires not only robust technology but also sustained regulatory dialogue and local capacity-building.

Brazil and Mexico: Regions With Strong Momentum

Beyond Colombia, Waga Energy is also active in Brazil, one of Latin America's most advanced RNG markets, and in Mexico, an emerging market where natural gas still accounts for a large share of primary energy consumption.

Brazil alone has around 850 operational landfills and nearly 3,000 open-air dumpsites, creating significant opportunities to improve methane capture and recover renewable energy from waste.

The country is also benefiting from a supportive regulatory environment, including the recently adopted Fuel of the Future Law, which aims to accelerate the development of low-carbon fuels and strengthen the role of

EFFICIENT SOLUTIONS

Regenerative VOC & Siloxane Treatment in Action

EFFICIENT SOLUTIONS

Regenerative VOC & Siloxane Treatment in Action: ANKA's Latest Projects Across Europe and Türkiye

By ANKA

As the biogas and renewable natural gas (RNG) sectors continue to develop, operational efficiency and long-term cost optimization are becoming increasingly important for plant operators. Beyond maximizing energy production, ensuring reliable gas treatment is essential to maintaining equipment performance, minimizing maintenance requirements, and reducing operating expenditures (OPEX).

ANKA addresses these priorities through its Regenerative VOC and Siloxane Removal System, an innovative gas treatment technology designed to provide efficient contaminant removal while significantly reducing the operational burden associated with conventional treatment methods.

Regenerative Technology for Continuous & Cost-Effective Operation

Unlike conventional adsorption systems that require frequent media replacement, ANKA's technology operates through an automated adsorption and regeneration process.

The system consists of two adsorption vessels operating alternately. While one vessel removes VOCs and siloxanes from the gas stream, the other undergoes regeneration using heated air. This automatic switching mechanism enables continuous gas treatment without interrupting plant operations.

The proprietary adsorption media is regenerated repeatedly, significantly reducing replacement frequency, waste generation, and associated maintenance costs. Under typical operating conditions, media replacement is required only once a year.

With low pressure drop, automated operation, and reduced maintenance requirements, ANKA's technology helps operators

achieve lower OPEX, improved operational reliability, and long-term equipment protection.

The system can be integrated into both new and existing biogas facilities, supporting landfill gas-to-energy projects, wastewater treatment plants, and biomethane upgrading applications.

Recent Project Milestones: Adana, Manisa, and Barcelona

ANKA's regenerative technology continues to demonstrate its applicability through successfully completed projects across different markets.

Adana, Türkiye – Landfill Gas-to-Electricity

In 2026, ANKA successfully commissioned its Regenerative VOC and Siloxane Removal System at ITC's landfill gas-to-electricity facility in Adana, Türkiye.

With a treatment capacity of 3,000 Nm³/h, the system is designed to protect downstream equipment from harmful contaminants while supporting reliable and efficient electricity generation.

Manisa, Türkiye – Capacity Expansion

ANKA also successfully completed a capacity expansion project at a landfill gas facility in Manisa, Türkiye, increasing the gas treatment capacity from 2,500 Nm³/h to 5,000 Nm³/h.

This project demonstrates the scalability and adaptability of ANKA's regenerative technology, enabling the facility to double its gas treatment capacity while maintaining efficient siloxane removal, continuous operation, and low operating costs (OPEX).

Barcelona, Spain – International Project Commissioning

ANKA further strengthened its international presence with the successful commissioning of a 1,500 Nm³/h Regenerative VOC and Siloxane Removal System at a landfill gas-to-electricity facility operated by Hera Holding in Barcelona, Spain.

Delivered in collaboration with ANKA's Spanish distributor, SUEZ, the project represents another important milestone in expanding the application of regenerative gas treatment technology across European markets.

Supporting Long-Term Efficiency in Biogas Operations

These recent projects reflect ANKA's commitment to delivering reliable, scalable, and economically sustainable gas treatment solutions.

By combining automated regeneration, continuous operation, and reduced media consumption, ANKA helps biogas operators optimize their operating costs while protecting critical equipment and supporting long-term plant performance.

Discover how ANKA's regenerative technology can improve the efficiency of your biogas operations.

EFFICIENT SOLUTIONS

Advancing Biogas Efficiency Through In Situ Optical Oxygen Monitoring

By Barben Analytical, a company of Ametek

As biogas facilities continue to expand renewable natural gas (RNG), combined heat and power, and boiler fuel applications, operators face increasing pressure to maximize efficiency while controlling operating costs. Every aspect of the process is scrutinized for opportunities to improve reliability, reduce maintenance, and increase uptime. One critical measurement often remains dependent on complex infrastructure: oxygen monitoring.

Oxygen measurement plays a vital role in biogas operations because even small amounts of air ingress can negatively impact methane quality, reduce process efficiency, accelerate corrosion, and introduce safety concerns. Continuous oxygen monitoring enables operators to quickly identify process upsets, protect downstream equipment, and maintain stable operation. However, conventional oxygen analyzers frequently rely on extractive sampling systems that introduce complexity, increase maintenance requirements, and delay measurement response.

Traditional analyzer installations typically require gas to be extracted from the process and transported through a sample conditioning system before reaching the analyzer. Depending on the application, this system may include pumps, filters, moisture separators, sample coolers, transport tubing, and analyzer shelters.

While these components are designed to prepare the sample for analysis, they also create additional maintenance burdens and potential points of failure.

In biogas applications, where moisture, hydrogen sulfide, condensate, and particulates are common, maintaining the sampling system can represent a significant portion of the analyzer's lifecycle cost.

Filters require replacement, pumps demand periodic maintenance, and moisture management systems must be continuously monitored to ensure reliable operation.

Beyond maintenance concerns, extractive systems can limit operational visibility. When oxygen ingress occurs, operators may not detect the event until the sample has travelled through the conditioning system and reached the analyzer. In applications where rapid response is critical, these delays can reduce the ability to quickly identify and correct process issues.

equipment, and maintain optimal system performance.

These advantages are particularly valuable in anaerobic digesters, biogas collection systems, flare headers, boiler fuel systems, and RNG upgrading facilities where continuous oxygen monitoring is essential to maintaining efficient operation. By removing unnecessary complexity from the measurement system, operators can focus more resources on optimizing production and less on maintaining analyzer infrastructure.

The OXYvisor® with SafeTap2® for direct in situ oxygen monitoring represents a modern approach by simplifying analyzer infrastructure, reducing maintenance requirements, and providing faster insight into critical process conditions. This results in a more efficient oxygen monitoring solution that helps biogas operators capture the full value of every cubic foot of renewable energy produced.

installation platform, oxygen measurements can be made directly within the process stream. Rather than transporting gas through pumps, tubing, and conditioning equipment, the measurement occurs exactly where it is needed.

This direct approach removes many of the components traditionally associated with sampling systems, reducing installation complexity while improving overall system reliability. With fewer mechanical devices requiring maintenance and fewer potential points of failure, facilities can lower operating costs while increasing analyzer availability.

Direct in situ measurement delivers faster response to changing oxygen concentrations. Without the delays associated with sample transport, operators gain near-real-time visibility into process conditions, allowing them to identify and respond to oxygen ingress events quickly. Earlier detection can help minimize process disruptions, protect critical equipment, protect critical

Barben’s OXYvisor® optical oxygen sensing technology changes this approach. Unlike traditional electrochemical or zirconia-based measurement methods, optical sensors utilize a luminescent sensing element that responds to the presence of oxygen. By monitoring changes in the optical signal, the analyzer continuously determines oxygen concentration without consuming oxygen during the measurement process.

This measurement principle provides excellent long-term stability while minimizing routine maintenance requirements. With no oxygen consumption and fewer wear components, optical sensing technology is particularly well suited for demanding industrial environments where reliability is essential.

The greatest efficiency gains often come not only from the sensing technology itself but from eliminating the sample conditioning system altogether. By combining the OXYvisor® with the SafeTap2® in situ

Efficient Solutions

The Power of Right-Now Data

The Power of Right-Now Data: How Real-Time Environmental Monitoring Unlocks Efficiency and Profit in Biogas and RNG Operations EFFICIENT SOLUTIONS 2 By IETLink The Efficiency Bottleneck: Delayed Information Is Costing You Money In both landfill gas and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) upgrading facilities, operational efficiency hinges on balance: LFG & Digester Yields: Undetected air intrusion (oxygen spikes) or vacuum imbalances can kill anaerobic activity, degrade gas quality, or force safety shutdowns at the upgrading plant. • Liquid & Moisture Control: Condensate build-up in headers or unmonitored leachate levels in side slope risers can choke off gas flow entirely, stalling collection and straining blowers. • Safety & Compliance: A sudden temperature rise in flares or a pore pressure spike in a landfill cell can risk catastrophic fires or slope instability. When field personnel discover these issues days after they begin, technicians waste hours troubleshooting blindly. Simultaneously, high-value methane escapes or goes uncollected, directly eroding the facility's return on investment (ROI). Streaming Data Delivered to the Right People, Anywhere IETLink shifts the model by delivering high-frequency, continuous data directly into the hands of the decision-makers who need it—anytime, anywhere. Through rugged, solar-supported Remote Environmental Monitoring (REM) units connected via a national wireless network, IETLink tracks critical parameters across the site 24/7: • LFG Wells & Digester Gas Quality (O2,CO2,CH4, pressure, and vacuum) • Condensate Sumps & Pump Stroke Activity • Leachate Tank Levels & Load-Out Tracking • Flare Temperatures & Gas Output Rates Connecting the Entire Team in Real Time Data is only valuable if it reaches the person empowered to act on it: 1. For Field Technicians: Instead of spending hours taking manual readings across hundreds of acres, technicians receive automated mobile alerts. They can open the IETLink mobile dashboard, diagnose the exact well, pump, or sump causing an issue, and target repairs with surgical precision. 2. For Site Engineers: Engineers gain instant access to continuous pressure trends, flow rates, and gas composition metrics. This allows them to tune gas wellfields and upgrading equipment for peak collection efficiency without waiting for monthly manual logs. 3. For Executive Management & CFOs: Real-time visibility turns potential environmental liabilities into predictable, monetized assets. On-demand reporting ensures audit-ready In the modern waste-to-energy landscape, data is no longer just a regulatory record—it is an operational necessity. Whether managing a sprawling landfill gas (LFG) collection system or an anaerobic digestion facility, operators face a constant, unseen challenge: rapidly shifting subsurface environments and gas compositions. Traditional monitoring relies on manual, periodic walkarounds, bi-weekly well readings, or static SCADA systems trapped in on-site control rooms. By the time a drop in methane pressures, a condensate backup, or a leachate pump failure is discovered during a routine check, the damage—and the financial loss—has already occurred. To maximize efficiency, boost productivity, and capture every dollar of potential revenue, operators and engineers must move from a reactive stance to a proactive data model. That is where IETLink comes in.

2 compliance for carbon credits, regulatory agencies, and energy buyers. Driving Measurable ROI Through Proactive Control While standalone telemetry systems are often viewed as an operational expense, the data provided by IETLink is designed as a profit driver. Typically accounting for a fraction of overall site capital while protecting 100% of the asset's yield, the platform delivers ROI across four primary pillars: • Maximized Gas Capture: Instantly identifying vacuum leaks or condensate blockages prevents "money escaping into the air," ensuring maximum feedstock reaches RNG upgrading plants or energy recovery systems. • Reduced Labour & Maintenance Overhead: Automated monitoring eliminates unnecessary manual walkarounds in hazardous areas, optimizing technician labour and keeping field staff safe and focused on high-value tasks. • Avoidance of Costly Remediation: Real-time threshold alerts prevent leachate overflows, slope failures, and flare shutdowns before they turn into expensive emergencies, regulatory fines, or media crises. • Optimized Upgrading Efficiency: Monitoring raw gas quality at the source enables operators to tune cleaning, compression, and membrane systems, engineering, and executive management. The result? A safer work environment, frictionless compliance, streamlined operations, and maximum profitability from every cubic foot of gas produced. Ready to see what’s really happening across your site? Visit ietlink.com or contact our engineering team to schedule a live demo of the IETLink dashboard. significantly lowering energy consumption and operational wear. Know Your Site from the Inside Out In the modern biogas and landfill gas economy, managing blindly is no longer an option. By putting actionable, real-time data at your fingertips, whether on a desktop in the office or a smartphone in the field, IETLink bridges the gap between field personnel,

Efficient Solutions

Experts Through Experience in Biogas Gas Pressure Boosting

Experts Through Experience in Biogas Gas Pressure Boosting

In a biogas plant, the fan that moves the gas has to work reliably around the clock. For 125 years, Meidinger AG, the Swiss original, has built centrifugal fans for demanding industrial applications. Founded in 1900, the company today focuses on gas pressure booster fans for biogas and technical gases, under the motto “Experts through experience.”

Swiss Engineering, Made in Switzerland

Every Meidinger fan is designed and manufactured in Switzerland. Precise manufacturing, rigorous testing and decades of accumulated know-how go into each unit. The gas-tight, explosion-proof fans of the HA and GRN series have become particularly well established in the biogas industry, where operators value long service life and dependable performance.

Safe: Ex-Proof and Gastight, Guaranteed

Biogas is flammable, and every leak is both a safety risk and a loss of valuable energy.

Meidinger fans are ATEX and CE certified for use in zones 1 and 2, and their explosion-proof and gastight design is guaranteed. Operators can keep every cubic metre of gas inside the process while meeting the strictest safety requirements.

Engineered for Every Stage of the Process

Plants differ in size, feedstock and purpose, so Meidinger offers fans for the full range of biogas configurations, covering pressures of 10 to 300 mbar and volume flows of 50 to 8,000 m³/h:

• Gas transfer and conveying: Fans move raw biogas to and from the digester and through pretreatment steps such as dehydration and H₂S removal.
• Gas boosters for CHP and upgrading: Fans deliver the stable inlet pressure that combined heat and power units need to generate electricity efficiently. In upgrading plants, they boost gas for storage or further processing, whether the end product is clean biomethane or CO₂.
• Pressure stabilization for membrane gas holders: Consistent pressure protects the membrane and keeps the plant running smoothly.

Robust: Reliable and Durable Under Tough Conditions

Raw biogas is an aggressive medium. Depending on the substrate, it can carry high concentrations of hydrogen sulphide (H₂S) or ammonia (NH₃), plus moisture that attacks ordinary equipment. Meidinger counters this with careful material selection and robust construction, so fans keep performing in corrosive environments where standard solutions wear out early.

Sustainable, Quiet and Easy to Maintain

Because biogas fans run continuously, efficiency matters. Meidinger’s energy-

2 efficient designs help cut operating costs and support the renewable energy goals of the plants they serve. Low-noise operation makes for a better working environment on site, and the easy-to-maintain design shortens service times and limits downtime. replacement. With 125 years of experience behind every project, the company is a trusted partner as demand for biogas and biomethane continues to grow. Meidinger AG: The original, since 1900 www.meidinger.ch A Partner for the Biogas Industry Meidinger works closely with plant builders, operators and system integrators to select the right fan for each duty point, whether for a new installation, an upgrade or a

EFFICIENT SOLUTIONS

More Biomethane, Less Energy

More Biomethane, Less Energy: How SYSADVANCE is Driving Efficiency in Biogas Upgrading

By SYSADVANCE

As the biomethane industry expands, operational efficiency is becoming a decisive factor in project competitiveness and long-term profitability. Beyond initial investment costs, developers and operators must consider the total cost of ownership, where electrical consumption, methane recovery and operational flexibility play a critical role.

At SYSADVANCE, efficiency is at the core of its biogas upgrading technology, helping operators to maximize biomethane production while minimizing operating costs.

Proven Technology, Global Experience

Founded in Portugal in 2002, SYSADVANCE is a global specialist in gas separation technologies, with more than 4,500 PSA systems deployed across over 70 countries.

Through its proprietary Vacuum Pressure Swing Adsorption (VPSA) technology,

SYSADVANCE has developed METHAGEN, a range of biogas upgrading solutions combining high methane recovery, low specific electrical consumption and reliable long-term operation.

As of 2026, SYSADVANCE's Energy Division has deployed a total biomethane production capacity of 2.9 TWh per year, across +50 sites in 12 countries and 3 continents.

Lower Electrical Consumption, Lower Operating Cost

Electricity represents a significant component of the operating expenditure of biogas upgrading facilities. Reducing specific electrical consumption can therefore deliver substantial savings throughout a plant's operating lifetime.

METHAGEN AD, developed for anaerobic digestion applications, achieves electrical consumption as low as 0.20 kWh/Nm³ of biogas, including pretreatment.

To illustrate the financial impact, every 0.05 kWh/Nm³ reduction in specific electrical consumption represents approximately €60,000 in annual savings for a facility processing 1,000 Nm³/h of biogas, operating 8,000 hours annually, at an electricity price of €0.15/kWh.

Over a 15-year operating period, this represents €900,000 in potential electricity savings, demonstrating how energy efficiency influences lifetime operating costs.

Combined with methane recovery exceeding 99.5%, this performance enables operators to minimize electricity costs while maximizing biomethane production.

Efficiency Beyond Nominal Operating Conditions

Biogas production is not always constant. Variations in feedstock composition, seasonal conditions and biogas availability can affect biogas flow and composition and therefore plant operation conditions. Maintaining energy efficiency under these changing conditions is therefore essential to controlling operating costs.

METHAGEN AD systems offer turndown capability down to 50% of nominal capacity without compromising energy efficiency, allowing operators to adapt to fluctuations in biogas production while maintaining efficient operation.

Flexibility Across Project Sizes and Operating Conditions

SYSADVANCE has developed METHAGEN AD solutions for biogas flows ranging from 165 to 5,000 Nm³/h per module, addressing applications from smaller agricultural installations to large industrial biomethane production facilities, while accommodating biogas produced from different feedstocks, including agricultural residues, livestock manure, industrial waste and municipal organic waste.

For landfill applications, METHAGEN LF offers processing capacities ranging from 500 to 5,000 Nm³/h per module, combining methane recovery of up to 95% with nitrogen and oxygen removal capability, up to 20% nitrogen, to address specific challenges of landfill gas upgrading.

Both technologies can be deployed in multiple-module configurations, enabling SYSADVANCE to address larger projects while maintaining operational flexibility and enhancing redundancy.

Demonstrating this scalability, SYSADVANCE has delivered a landfill gas upgrading installation with a processing capacity of up to 12,500 Nm³/h to New Jersey, USA, to be commissioned by January 2028.

Efficiency That Creates Long-Term Value

The economic performance of a biomethane project depends on much more than its initial CAPEX.

Lower electrical consumption, higher methane recovery, operational availability and flexibility all contribute to reducing the lifetime OPEX cost of biomethane production, thus enhancing profitability.

By combining these advantages with proven technology and an expanding international service presence, SYSADVANCE supports developers, utilities and operators in building more competitive and sustainable biomethane projects.

In biomethane production, every kilowatt-hour saved and every additional cubic metre of methane recovered contributes to long-term value and profitability.

Efficient Solutions

Stopping Digester Contamination Before It Costs You 6 Figures

Stopping Digester Contamination Before It Costs You 6 Figures

By Drycake

In anaerobic digestion (AD), operational reality starts with one physical truth: every tonne received must leave the facility somewhere.

For plants processing 40,000 to 120,000 tonnes per year (t/yr), incoming feedstock inevitably arrives with non-digestible debris (grit, glass, film plastics, and packaging). If you allow these inert materials into primary digestion tanks, your digester effectively becomes a multi-million-dollar settling vessel, drastically degrading overall plant efficiency.

The Hidden Cost of Digester "Dead Zones"

Neglecting front-end substrate preparation creates compounding operational and financial losses:

• Direct Cleanout Costs: $20,000 to over $100,000 per intervention.
• Catastrophic Downtime: A typical 7- to 14-day tank cleanout stalls energy production, causing thousands of dollars in lost daily revenue plus extended re-commissioning periods.
• Severe Equipment Degradation: Heavy inorganic grit settles to create unmixable dead zones, while abrasive particles destroy pumps, mixers, and heat exchangers.
• Compliance & Reputation Risks: Floating plastics form thick crust layers that compromise digestate quality, risking regulatory penalties and non-compliant land-application status.

The Drycake 3-Stage Front-End Separation Solution

To protect your primary digestion environment, the Drycake methodology intercepts contaminants while they are still large, intact, and accessible, before feedstock enters gas-tight tanks.

1. Drycake Twister Depackaging Machine: Uses a vertical vortex separator with dull paddles to open packaging and pulp organic matter without cutting plastics into microplastics, yielding a 99%+ clean organic fraction.
2. Seditank Grit Removal System: Employs low-pressure aeration and extraction screws to settle out sand, glass, and heavy grit before feedstock reaches pasteurizers, pumps, or heat exchangers.
3. CleanPress Inline Screening: An enclosed, pressurized screen that captures remaining floating plastics and fibres that density separation misses, driving substrate contamination down to as low as 0.02%.

2 It combines detailed deposit characterization, thermodynamic modelling and site-specific formulations, an approach consistent with The Bottom Line: Extend Cleanout Intervals from 2 Years to 7 Years By stopping abrasive grit and floating crusts at the front gate, proactive separation technology extends cleanout intervals from the typical 1–2 years out to 4–7 years. You safeguard wet-line infrastructure, preserve Calculate Your Facility's ROI / Schedule a Technical Consultation] Contact our engineering team today to review your feedstock profile and evaluate how a Drycake front-end separation system can be retrofitted into your existing plant layout: [email protected] maximum working volume for peak gas yield, and ensure high-quality, compliant digestate. Ready to Protect Your Working Volume and Cut Maintenance Downtime? Don't wait for grit accumulation to force an emergency $100,000 digester shutdown.

PROJECT SHOWCASES

Glentham Green Energy: Renewable Gas and Food-Grade CO₂

Overview

The Glentham Green Energy (GGE) facility in Lincolnshire, United Kingdom, represents one of the country’s most advanced bioenergy projects.

Developed by VIDA Bioenergy, part of the VTTI group, the plant converts organic residues into renewable natural gas (RNG) for injection into the UK’s National Gas Transmission System.

Operational since July 2025, the facility processes biogas from anaerobic digestion and upgrades it to grid-quality biomethane using DMT Environmental Technology’s CarboRex®MS membrane upgrading system.

In addition to biomethane production, the plant also recovers valuable biogenic CO₂ using DMT’s CarboCap®CCU bolt-on CO₂ liquefaction system.

Project Overview

The plant processes biogas from organic waste streams to produce biomethane suitable for injection into the national gas grid.

The CarboCap®CCU system captures the CO₂-rich stream from the upgrader, compresses, dries, and purifies it before liquefying it into food-grade liquid CO₂ for storage and distribution. Fully automated process control ensures reliable operation and high system availability.

Key Project Components

• CarboRex®MS Membrane Upgrading System: Purifies biogas to produce high-purity biomethane.
• CarboCap®CCU CO₂ Liquefaction System: Recovers food-grade CO₂ from the biogas stream.
• High-Pressure Grid Connection: Enables injection of biomethane into the UK gas network.

Operational Performance & RNG Output

• Biomethane Production: 60 GWh annually, enough to heat over 5,000 homes.
• CO₂ Production: First batch of food-grade CO₂ produced in July 2025.
• System Efficiency: High uptime and low operational complexity.

Environmental & Economic Benefits

• Converts organic waste into renewable energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Captured CO₂ can be used in beverage carbonation, chemical processes, and greenhouse agriculture.
• Supports circular economy principles by creating additional value from biogas by-products.

Conclusion

The Glentham project demonstrates DMT’s ability to deliver integrated solutions that combine biogas upgrading with CO₂ recovery. With the CarboRex®MS and CarboCap®CCU systems, operators can efficiently produce renewable gas and high-quality CO₂ while meeting environmental targets and maximizing resource efficiency.

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PROJECT SHOWCASES

BSR-050: High-Capacity H₂S Removal at Gas Verde’s Seropédica Facility

PROJECT SHOWCASES

BSR-050: High-Capacity H₂S Removal At Gas Verde’s Seropédica Facility

By Guild Associates

Guild Associates offers BSR-050, a high-capacity granular media designed for the removal of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) from biogas.

Engineered as a direct replacement for conventional iron oxide and activated carbon media in dry-media systems, BSR-050 is field-proven in biogas applications supporting the production of pipeline-quality biomethane and Renewable Natural Gas (RNG).

Guild Associates supplies and delivers BSR-050 internationally, supporting biogas and biomethane projects in the United States and global markets. One example of this international application is Gas Verde’s Seropédica facility in Brazil.

The application demonstrates how BSR-050 can be incorporated into commercial-scale biogas upgrading facilities to provide reliable H₂S removal while significantly extending media service life and reducing the frequency of media replacement.

Figure 1. Vessels holding BSR-050 at the Seropédica facility in Brazil

Seropédica Facility

Gas Verde utilizes BSR-050 at its Seropédica facility in Brazil as part of the H₂S removal process for upgrading biogas to biomethane.

Before BSR-050

Prior to the use of BSR-050, conventional H₂S removal media was utilized within the existing dry-media adsorber vessels.

Under the site's operating conditions, the previous media provided an approximate one-year operating cycle before a media changeout was required.

After BSR-050

BSR-050 was introduced as the H₂S removal media without requiring significant changes to the existing dry-media treatment approach.

With BSR-050, the media changeout interval increased from approximately 1 year to 2.5 years of service, representing a 150% increase in service life.

This extended operating cycle significantly reduces the frequency of media replacements while maintaining the H₂S removal performance required by the downstream biogas upgrading process.

The longer service life also reduces the operational burden associated with media replacement, including unloading, loading, transportation, disposal, labor, and facility downtime.

The Operational and Economic Impact

Increasing the H₂S media changeout interval from approximately 1 year to 2.5 years provides significant operational advantages for the Seropédica facility:

• 60% reduction in annual changeout frequency
• 2.5× longer media service life
• Reduced media replacement and disposal requirements
• Lower changeout-related labor and service costs
• Improved utilization of the existing H₂S adsorber system

The Seropédica application demonstrates the successful use of BSR-050 as a high-capacity H₂S removal solution for large-scale biogas and biomethane production in an international market.

Global BSR-050 Support

Guild Associates supports biogas and biomethane producers both domestically and internationally, supplying BSR-050 for new installations as well as direct replacement of conventional H₂S removal media in existing dry-media systems.

Proper application of BSR-050 requires consideration of the complete H₂S removal process, including gas flow, H₂S concentration, moisture, oxygen availability, temperature, pressure, vessel configuration, and desired operating cycle.

Contact Guild Associates for an evaluation of your existing H₂S removal process or for a complete treatment solution incorporating vessels, BSR-050 media, and process controls.

PROJECT SHOWCASES

From Flare to Revenue: Unison at South Platte Renew

From Flare to Revenue: Unison at South Platte Renew

By Unison Solutions

For years, South Platte Renew flared most of its biogas. Today, SPR turns that gas into revenue.

Since 2019, a system designed and built by Unison Solutions has upgraded SPR’s biogas into pipeline-quality renewable natural gas (RNG).

The project paid for itself ahead of schedule, thanks in part to the reliability of the Unison BioCNG system.

“We don’t have to worry about it.”

From Flare to Pipeline, Built by Unison

SPR is Colorado’s third-largest water renewal facility, treating nearly 20 million gallons of wastewater a day for 300,000 people in Englewood, Littleton and 19 connecting districts. Before 2019, it flared about 60% of its biogas, nearly 200 million BTUs of energy every day.

In October 2019, it commissioned Colorado’s first system to upgrade wastewater biogas to RNG for pipeline injection.

Unison has designed and manufactured biogas conditioning and upgrading systems in Dubuque, Iowa, for more than 25 years, with more than 400 installed across the U.S. and Canada.

For SPR, Unison built a skid-mounted BioCNG 400 system. It removes hydrogen sulfide, moisture, siloxanes, and volatile organic compounds, then separates carbon dioxide through a two-stage membrane process before the gas enters Xcel Energy’s pipeline. The equipment is housed in an acoustic, weatherproof enclosure.

Unison Support Beyond Startup

Unison engineers spent weeks on site during startup and commissioning, fine-tuning programming and mechanical components. When the utility’s new interconnect created more pressure loss than expected, Unison retuned the system to raise discharge pressure so RNG could flow into the pipeline.

That support extended to integrating with other manufacturers’ equipment. Unison worked with the manufacturer of SPR’s regenerative thermal oxidizer, which burns the system’s low-methane tail gas, so the two could operate as a single system.

The support provided by Unison and others has helped limit the system’s downtime.

Owning the Project and the Revenue

Rather than bring in a third-party developer to finance an RNG project in exchange for a share of the revenue, SPR chose to pay for it directly.

The cities of Englewood and Littleton split the $7.8 million cost from sewer funds, and SPR kept full control of the system and all of the revenue it generates.

SPR projected payback in about seven years. It got there in about five and a half years, driven by steady uptime and strong renewable fuel credit markets. Through mid-2025, the project had generated about $11 million in revenue.

Since startup, the system has produced about 411 million cubic feet of RNG and avoided nearly 21,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, roughly the emissions of 56 million passenger-vehicle miles. Today, it produces about 70 million cubic feet of RNG a year and avoids an estimated 3,700 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.

With the investment repaid, SPR expects the system to keep generating about $2 million a year. Because SPR owns the system outright, that revenue stays with SPR and its ratepayers, helping keep sewer rates down.

Other utilities now call SPR regularly for advice.

For them, South Platte Renew shows what a well-built, well-supported upgrading system can deliver: years of reliable operation, an early payback, and revenue that keeps working for ratepayers.

TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHTS

Heat Recovery by Adicomp

TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHTS

Heat Recovery by Adicomp: Turning Compression Heat Into a Competitive Advantage

By Adicomp

In an industrial environment increasingly focused on energy efficiency, sustainability, and cost optimization, investing in an advanced heat recovery system represents one of the most effective ways to reduce energy consumption and improve operational performance. With Adicomp's innovative heat recovery technology, the heat generated during gas compression is no longer wasted but recovered and reused within the production cycle through an efficient energy recovery system.

Energy Efficiency Beyond Electricity Consumption

When discussing compressor efficiency, attention is often focused on the electric motor. Current regulations require the use of

Adicomp's heat recovery technology helps manufacturers improve overall plant efficiency while reducing their environmental footprint. By integrating an effective energy recovery system, companies can significantly lower energy demand for heating applications and maximize the value generated by their compression equipment.

For industrial operators, this translates into:

• Lower energy consumption
• Reduced operating expenses
• Better utilization of available energy
• Reduced environmental impact
• Increased overall plant efficiency

Transforming Waste Heat into a Strategic Resource

With Adicomp's advanced Heat Recovery Technology, industrial operators can recover up to 80% of absorbed motor power and transform wasted thermal energy into a strategic asset.

Combining an efficient Heat Recovery System, an integrated Energy Recovery System, and a reliable gas post-treatment system, Adicomp delivers a complete solution for energy efficiency, sustainability, and operational excellence.

In a market where every kilowatt matters, recovered heat is not waste. It is energy that keeps working.

When this recovered heat is used within the final user’s plant, the energy savings become immediate and measurable.

In practical terms, the compressor becomes even more efficient because a significant share of the consumed energy is returned to the facility as useful thermal energy rather than being dissipated into the atmosphere.

Gas Post-Treatment System for Enhanced Reliability and Efficiency

In addition to heat recovery, Adicomp can integrate an advanced gas post-treatment system designed to improve filtration performance, protect downstream equipment, and increase overall plant reliability.

The process includes a gas cooling stage (OW), which enhances the efficiency of the coalescing filter (CF). The gas is then reheated using recovered energy from the compressor screw element, combining the benefits of a gas post-treatment system with the advantages of an integrated heat recovery system.

This approach provides several benefits:

• Improved filtration efficiency
• Prevention of condensation and saturation in the discharge line
• Enhanced protection of downstream equipment
• Reduced maintenance requirements and operating costs

high-efficiency motors such as IE3 motors, while the market already offers even more advanced technologies, including IE5 motors, capable of delivering further reductions in energy consumption.

However, the overall efficiency of a compression system depends not only on the energy it consumes but also on its ability to recover and utilize energy that would otherwise be lost. This is exactly where the Adicomp Heat Recovery System delivers significant value.

Heat Recovery System: Recover Up to 80% of the Energy Consumed

During the gas compression process, a large portion of the electrical energy absorbed by the motor is converted into thermal energy. Through its advanced heat recovery system, Adicomp enables the recovery of up to 80% of the motor's absorbed power, transforming waste heat into a valuable energy resource.

This highly efficient energy recovery system transfers heat from the compressor oil circuit to the user's water circuit, helping industrial facilities reduce energy consumption and operating costs.

The recovered thermal energy can be used for:

• Industrial process heating
• Domestic hot water production
• Building heating system integration
• Preheating of fluids & production processes

TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHTS

Four-Stage Biogas Upgrading

Four-Stage Biogas Upgrading: Membrane Separators for High-Purity Biomethane and Novel Designs

By Air Products

Background

The growing transition from traditional CHP processes to biogas upgrading has led to an increased demand for membrane separation technology.

Membranes are an excellent choice for the separation of CH4 and CO2 to generate a high-purity, renewable natural gas stream that can be used in place of traditional, less renewable sources.

By using biomethane instead of standard fossil fuels, the carbon impact is reduced significantly, thereby reducing harmful emissions.

Air Products Membrane Solutions considers biogas upgrading to be a core area of focus, and as a global technology leader in gas separation, is committed to developing innovative new solutions for the application of membranes in the biogas market.

Design

Air Products Membrane Solutions has designed a proprietary biogas upgrading membrane configuration that involves a feed gas compressor working with four membrane stages, utilizing a sweep stream from one membrane stage to enhance the performance of another membrane stage. With this membrane configuration, CH4 product purities of greater than 97 mol% can be achieved, while also delivering high CH4 recoveries of >99%.

Not only does the second compressor design enable higher methane recovery, but it results in lower total power consumption versus a three-stage, one-compressor design operating at the same recovery. This combination of high product yield and near 100% recovery makes the configuration an excellent biogas upgrading solution for biogas sources such as landfills, anaerobic digesters, and more.

Conclusion

Air Products Membrane Solutions has developed a proprietary new design that allows for increased yield and higher CH4 recovery during the biogas upgrading process, without sacrificing quality or cost. For more information on how Air Products can improve your biogas upgrading operations, contact us.

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TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHTS

Sustainable Circularity in Biogas

By Aris Enerji

Smart Automation and Market Expertise

Beyond mechanical efficiency, modern waste-to-energy projects demand absolute process stability and complete traceability. Ariş Energy integrates these pasteurization skids directly into centralized SCADA systems.

Key features of this technology-driven approach include:

• Automated Batch & Continuous Flow Control: Ensuring exact 60-minute retention times without manual intervention.
• Fail-Safe Temperature Monitoring: Redundant digital sensors that prevent unpasteurized material from proceeding down the supply chain.
• Digital Data Logging: Generating automated compliance reports required by local environmental agencies and international standards.

This level of automation bridges the gap between complex engineering and daily operational ease, protecting plant operators from compliance risks while optimizing uptime.

As the global energy transition accelerates, the biogas sector plays a pivotal role not only in renewable power and biomethane production but also in organic waste management and nutrient recycling. However, transforming organic substrate into high-value, safe bio-fertilizer requires sophisticated thermal processing that adheres to strict environmental standards. Pasteurization—or hygienization—is essential to eliminate pathogens, weed seeds, and harmful biological contaminants.

Historically, thermal treatment has been considered an energy-intensive bottleneck in biogas operations. Today, advanced Heat Recovery Hygienization and Pasteurization Systems engineered by Ariş Energy demonstrate how cutting-edge thermal engineering can convert a regulatory requirement into a model of energy efficiency and operational profitability.

Innovating Thermal Process Engineering

Standard hygienization regulations require biological waste inputs (such as animal manure, food waste, and agro-industrial byproducts) to be held at a minimum of 70 °C for at least one continuous hour. Achieving and maintaining these temperatures traditionally demands continuous thermal energy input, often drawing heavily on heat produced by Combined Heat and Power (CHP) units or auxiliary boilers.

The technological leap lies in multi-stage heat exchanger configurations and intelligent thermal integration. By leveraging advanced plate or tubular heat recovery exchangers, incoming cold substrate is pre-heated using the residual thermal energy from outgoing, already pasteurized material.

This counter-current heat exchange process captures up to 70–80% of the thermal energy that would otherwise be dissipated. Consequently, the net external energy demand required to reach the target 70 °C threshold is dramatically reduced. This innovation ensures that CHP-generated thermal energy remains available for other facility needs, such as digester heating or district heating networks, maximizing overall plant efficiency.

2 Project Impact: Creating Value from Digestate

From a market perspective, efficient pasteurization shifts digestate management from a disposal cost to a high-margin revenue stream. By producing certified pathogen-free, nutrient-rich organic digestate, biogas operators can supply agricultural markets with premium bio-fertilizer, replacing synthetic, fossil-derived alternatives.

Through deep market expertise and a commitment to circular economy principles, Ariş Energy’s heat recovery hygienization solutions exemplify how efficient technology converts environmental challenges into profitable, sustainable energy projects.

TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHTS

Beyond Gas Capture

By IEC - Industrial and Environmental Concepts

For biogas and wastewater treatment facilities, improving efficiency means more than increasing energy production. It also means reducing heat loss, maintaining consistent treatment performance, minimizing manual maintenance, and protecting critical infrastructure. Industrial & Environmental Concepts (IEC) designs custom cover and liner systems that help project developers, engineering firms, contractors, and municipalities improve operational efficiency while supporting long-term reliability.

In anaerobic digestion systems, maintaining a stable thermal environment is essential for consistent biogas production. Heat loss can affect microbial activity, slow digestion, and increase the energy required to maintain operating temperatures.

IEC’s insulated floating biogas covers help minimize heat transfer between digester contents and ambient air, supporting stable operating conditions and reliable gas generation. By retaining heat and containing biogas for recovery or controlled destruction, these systems contribute to more effective process management and energy utilization.

Efficiency, however, extends beyond the digester itself. Across wastewater treatment facilities, equipment accessibility, maintenance requirements, and process consistency can significantly influence operating costs. IEC’s Flexible Clarifier Launder Cover technology demonstrates how a targeted cover solution can address these challenges while protecting downstream treatment performance.

At the Shoal Creek Water Reclamation Facility in Georgia, operated by Clayton County Water Authority (CCWA), algae accumulation in two 104-foot-diameter secondary clarifiers had become a recurring operational issue. Frequent cleaning of the weirs and effluent launders required considerable operator time. Algae buildup could also restrict flow and contribute to solids carryover, affecting total suspended solids (TSS) and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)—important parameters for maintaining discharge compliance and protecting receiving environments.

Traditional rigid covers were unsuitable because the clarifiers use rotating bridge, scraper, and skimmer assemblies that require unobstructed movement. IEC developed a custom flexible geomembrane cover configuration for the inner and outer launder areas, accommodating the existing drive mechanism and clarifier geometry without interfering with equipment operation.

Completed in fall 2025, the installations delivered a significant improvement: CCWA reported a 100% reduction in algal growth on the weirs and within the launder areas during the first year of operation. By addressing the source of the recurring problem, the covers reduced the need for frequent manual cleaning while helping maintain the conditions required for effective wastewater treatment. The utility also reported that installation proceeded with only brief, intermittent downtime that did not affect plant performance.

Durability and safety are equally important to maintaining these efficiency gains over time. Cover systems must withstand environmental exposure, operational demands, and the mechanical stresses associated with their applications. IEC uses application-specific materials and engineered attachment methods to support reliable performance. Its flexible clarifier covers can also be partially or fully removed for inspection, maintenance, or

cleaning, allowing facilities to retain access to critical infrastructure without sacrificing the benefits of the cover system.

For biogas storage systems, proactive maintenance is similarly essential. Pressure fluctuations, ultraviolet exposure, severe weather, and mechanical wear can affect membrane condition and system performance. Routine inspections of seams, anchors, membrane surfaces, and pressure-management equipment help identify developing issues before they result in costly repairs, unplanned downtime, or compromised gas containment. Addressing these concerns early helps protect both operational reliability and the long-term value of the installation.

For EPCs, contractors, and municipalities, these examples highlight the importance of considering cover systems as an integral part of facility design. Material selection, site geometry, equipment clearances, thermal requirements, and maintenance access all influence performance throughout a system’s service life.

A properly engineered solution can help reduce avoidable energy losses, improve process consistency, and limit the labour and disruption associated with recurring maintenance.

Ultimately, improving efficiency means making every part of a facility work more effectively. Through custom-engineered cover and liner solutions, IEC helps biogas and wastewater facilities manage energy, protect treatment processes, reduce maintenance demands, and support dependable long-term operation.

TECHNOLOGY SPOTLIGHTS

Driving Renewable Energy Efficiency Through Smarter Feedstock Processing

By NETZSCH

Expanding Renewable Energy Production

As biogas facilities expand their role in renewable energy generation, efficiency has become a critical factor in determining project success. Every stage of the anaerobic digestion process, from feedstock preparation to gas production, affects overall plant performance. A pioneering biogas facility in central Quebec faced this challenge as it expanded operations to process greater volumes of food waste while increasing renewable energy production. The facility turned to NETZSCH to help create a more efficient feedstock preparation system capable of supporting long-term growth.

The facility’s expansion centred on advanced biomethanization technology that converts organic waste into biogas while producing valuable by-products, including biofertilizers. By accepting food waste from grocery stores, restaurants, and food manufacturers, the plant diverted organic material from landfills and transformed it into renewable energy and reusable agricultural products.

The Efficiency Challenge

While the opportunity was significant, so were the operational challenges. The facility needed to process highly variable feedstocks ranging from potatoes to watermelons while operating within a restricted footprint. Incoming organic waste arrived in different sizes, moisture levels, and solids concentrations, making consistent feedstock preparation difficult.

For anaerobic digestion systems, consistency is essential. Large variations in particle size and substrate composition can reduce digestion performance and negatively affect methane production. The facility needed a way to efficiently prepare up to 265 gallons per minute of organic material while maintaining the conditions necessary for stable digestion.

Optimizing the Biogas Process

Working closely with plant engineers, NETZSCH analyzed flow requirements, solids content, and mixing ratios to develop a streamlined process. The resulting system combined grinding, mixing, and pumping functions into a compact arrangement that reduced complexity while improving feedstock consistency.

The solution utilized an N.Mac Twin Shaft Grinder alongside a NEMO B.Max Progressing Cavity Mixing Pump. Together, these technologies enabled the facility to process large solids, maintain proper substrate blending, and create a more homogeneous feedstock stream for the digesters.

Efficiency Beyond Pumping

The primary benefit was not simply moving material from one point to another. By improving grinding and mixing performance, the facility could provide more consistent feedstock to the anaerobic digestion process. Better homogenization helps support stable microbial activity, which is critical for maximizing biogas production and maintaining process reliability.

The compact design also reduced the need for additional tanks and separate mixing equipment, lowering infrastructure requirements and conserving valuable plant space. At the same time, fewer components simplified maintenance and improved operational reliability.

Supporting the Circular Economy

Since implementation, the upgraded facility has benefited from a more efficient feedstock preparation process while expanding its capacity to convert food waste into renewable energy.

By improving substrate handling and digestion performance, the project demonstrates how pumping and grinding technology can contribute directly to renewable energy efficiency.

The result is a system that helps divert waste from landfills, supports renewable natural gas production, and produces valuable biofertilizers, illustrating how process efficiency can strengthen both economic performance and environmental sustainability.

INNOVATIONS

ABtimizer

By AB

The energy transition is profoundly changing the way businesses produce, consume, and manage energy.

Today, the challenge is no longer simply having access to the necessary energy resources, but using them as efficiently as possible, balancing costs, sustainability, and operational continuity.

In many industrial and agricultural facilities, different technologies coexist, including cogeneration systems, photovoltaic plants, battery energy storage systems, and heat pumps. Each contributes in a specific way to the site's energy performance, but the real value is created when these solutions operate in a coordinated and synergistic manner.

This is precisely why ABtimizer was developed.

Created by AB, ABtimizer is the digital platform that monitors, coordinates, and optimizes the entire corporate energy ecosystem in real time.

The result is an advanced energy system capable of maximizing self-consumption, enhancing the value of every available energy source, reducing energy costs, and improving the environmental performance of the facility, transforming energy from a simple cost factor into a strategic driver of business competitiveness.

ABtimizer is designed to integrate and coordinate:

• ECOMAX® cogeneration units;
• Photovoltaic systems;

A dynamic energy management approach that adapts in real time to the company's production needs and to changes in the energy landscape.

In this way, every energy flow is managed and enhanced at the most appropriate moment, ensuring maximum efficiency across the entire system.

The solution enables businesses to make the most of energy generated from renewable sources while increasing operational flexibility through the integration of energy storage systems.

At the same time, it optimizes cogeneration performance, supports electrification processes, and contributes tangibly to the achievement of decarbonization goals.

• Battery energy storage systems (BESS);
• Heat pumps;
• Electric and gas boilers;
• Energy grids;
• Biogas-to-biomethane upgrading systems

Each technology contributes its own distinctive characteristics.

ABtimizer coordinates their interaction to maximize the overall value generated by the system. Value creation does not depend on the performance of a single asset, but on the ability to make different technologies work together intelligently.

How does it work?

ABtimizer continuously collects and analyzes data from energy assets as well as from the external energy environment, developing operating strategies that maximize the value generated by every available resource.

Through advanced algorithms, the platform evaluates energy consumption, production levels, energy prices, weather forecasts, operating conditions, and any technical or regulatory constraints that must be respected, identifying the most efficient and cost-effective configuration at any given moment.

It then compares multiple scenarios and selects the optimal solution.

This approach applies both to industrial facilities, where cogeneration systems must respond to the company's electrical and thermal demands, and to biomethane plants, where it is essential to coordinate production, self-consumption, and overall energy sustainability.

In both cases, ABtimizer enables faster, more accurate, and more profitable decision-making.

INNOVATIONS

Mixing Smarter

INNOVATIONS

Mixing Smarter: Getting More Biogas From Every Kilowatt

By Anaergia

Mixing is one of the biggest energy loads at any anaerobic digestion facility, and one of the most overlooked. When a digester is poorly mixed, floating layers form, grit settles, and active volume shrinks. Operators lose biogas, and eventually they lose time to shutdowns and cleanouts.

Anaergia's OmniMix solution was designed to solve that problem without forcing a trade-off between performance and energy use.

Inspired by the mixing approach behind Anaergia's Omnivore high-solids digestion technology, OmniMix combines two components: high-efficiency PSM mixers and a patented service box.

A Direct-Drive Design That Does More With Less

Each PSM mixer is built around a permanent synchronous motor, the same motor type found in high-performance electric vehicles. Depending on the starting point, operators can see electrical savings of up to 50 percent compared with conventional mixers, and close to 90 percent compared with pump or gas mixing systems. In addition to energy savings, because the motor drives the propeller directly, there is no gearbox to wear out, leak or maintain.

Anaergia's BMP Lab Figure 1. The Zollner biogas plant in Eitting, Germany. A Servicebox Pro on the digester roof lets crews reach the PSM mixer from above while the tank stays in service.

Figure 2. A PSM mixer installed inside a Zollner digester. The plant converted to OmniMix in 2022, adding eight PSM mixers and eight Servicebox Pro units.

Figure 3. The OmniMix service box sits at the top of the digester, where crews can raise, lower or remove the mixer.

Intelligence Built In

A dedicated controller adjusts mixer speed automatically and in real time, holding constant torque as conditions inside the tank change. This helps the mixer avoid cavitation and abrasion, while the propeller design reduces ragging from fibrous material. The outcome is steady performance, less wear and lower operating costs.

Built For High Solids and Demanding Feedstocks

OmniMix handles substrates of up to 15 percent solids in both feedstock buffer tanks and digesters. That makes it well-suited to co-digestion, where facilities blend municipal sludge with food waste and other organics to increase biogas output. The mixers are also approved for hazardous locations (ATEX and Class I, Division 1).

Maintenance Without Shutdown

The second half of the OmniMix solution is the patented service box that holds each mixer. Operators can raise, lower and redirect individual mixers to break up floating layers or resuspend grit. They can also pull a mixer for inspection while the digester stays in service, so maintenance no longer means lost production.

Retrofit Or Greenfield

OmniMix fits both new and existing tanks and works in mesophilic and thermophilic digestion. For utilities that need more capacity from the infrastructure they already have, it offers a practical upgrade path without new construction.

In the field: Zollner Biogas Plant, Eitting, Germany

The Zollner plant has operated since 2005 and today has an electrical capacity of about 3.1 MW. It runs entirely on renewable energy crops, including maize, grass, whole-crop silage, potatoes and sugar beet.

In 2022, after nearly two decades of operation, the plant converted to OmniMix, installing eight PSM mixers and eight Servicebox Pro units. The new system uses up to 65 percent less energy than the previous mixing system, saving the operator roughly €70,500 a year, while also delivering more flexible operation and modernized plant technology.

Looking Ahead

As operators face growing pressure to cut energy costs and emissions while processing more organic waste, mixing is one of the most practical places to find gains. OmniMix gives facilities a way to get more biogas from every kilowatt, with less maintenance and less downtime.

To learn more, contact Anaergia at www.anaergia.com/contact or visit www.anaergia.com/psm-smart-mixing-system.

Innovations

Bridging the Gap Between Laboratory Research and Full-Scale Biogas Efficiency

By Anaero Technology

Biogas plants rarely operate under perfectly constant conditions. Feedstock quality changes, loading rates fluctuate, and operators must balance gas production against the risk of process instability.

Testing these decisions in the laboratory should help reduce uncertainty. But what happens when the laboratory digester is operated differently from the plant it is supposed to represent?

The Problem With Traditional Laboratory Feeding

One of the most overlooked differences is feeding frequency. Full-scale anaerobic digestion (AD) plants often receive small doses of substrate hourly or every few hours. Yet many laboratory continuous stirred-tank reactors are fed manually just once a day, sometimes with interruptions over weekends.

This creates an artificial "feed shock": a sudden influx of organic material that can temporarily raise volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations, lower pH and cause foaming. Researchers may then observe instability caused by the experimental feeding regime, rather than by the feedstock or loading rate under investigation.

For plant operators, this distinction matters. A substrate that appears difficult to digest in a manually fed laboratory test may behave differently under the more frequent feeding conditions of a commercial plant.

Similarly, a trial intended to establish a safe organic loading rate (OLR) may produce overly conservative results if feeding patterns are not representative.

Bringing Industrial Operating Conditions Into the Laboratory

To address this gap, Cambridge-based Anaero Technology has developed a range of automatically fed, continuous laboratory digesters designed to reproduce industrial operating regimes at a smaller scale.

Their programmable feeding systems can deliver up to 999 small doses per day, maintaining consistent feeding schedules around the clock without requiring researchers to attend the laboratory every day.

The systems are designed for practical, real-world substrates, not only homogeneous synthetic feeds. An agitated syringe-feeding mechanism can handle suitable thick, low-fibre slurries with up to 24% dry solids, helping to maintain a consistent feed mixture and minimize settling.

Individual reactor temperature control, programmable mixing and real-time gas-volume measurement allow other key process conditions to be studied alongside the feeding regime.

Turning Laboratory Research Into Operational Efficiency

This creates opportunities to test more than methane potential alone. Researchers and plant operators can investigate how changes in OLR, hydraulic retention time, feedstock blends and feeding frequency affect sustained performance.

Configurations ranging from parallel single-stage reactors to multi-stage systems also support comparisons of alternative process designs and recirculation strategies.

2 These make it easier to compare operating strategies over time and identify whether a change delivers genuinely sustained improvement. As the biogas industry seeks greater efficiency from existing infrastructure and increasingly diverse feedstocks, laboratory studies need to reflect the way plants actually run. By generating reliable, representative data, Anaero Technology’s auto-fed digesters help bridge the gap between laboratory research and full-scale operations, enabling researchers and plant operators to develop effective strategies for maximizing biogas production, improving process stability and enhancing the overall efficiency and performance of full-scale anaerobic digestion plants. In Anaero Technology's food-waste trials, frequently fed digesters have been operated at OLRs of 5.5–6 kg VS/m³/day. The company has also observed foaming in manually fed systems at lower loadings. While results depend on the substrate and operating conditions, the comparison illustrates why feeding frequency deserves attention when interpreting laboratory performance. Reliable measurement is equally important. Anaero Technology's systems include gas-flow meters and Bittern+ software, providing real-time temperature- and pressure-corrected gas volumes. The latest release, Chimera Gas Analyzer, connects online to any type of reactor and provides automatic CH₄ and CO₂ composition monitoring.

INNOVATIONS

Transforming Landfill RNG Economics with Low-Cost INTRUPTor™ Technology

Transforming Landfill RNG Economics with Low-Cost INTRUPTor™ Technology

By Hydron Energy

Hydron Energy's INTRUPTor™ technology uses novel biomimicry-based metal-organic framework (MOF) sorbents developed and manufactured by Hydron Energy. These advanced sorbents represent a significant improvement over current industry standards for biogas upgrading, particularly for landfill gas applications.

Hydron's MOFs are designed to remove nitrogen (N2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) near ambient pressure in a single step, a capability that simplifies system design and operations while reducing both capital and operating costs compared with incumbent technologies.

Conventional biogas upgrading systems often face major limitations when processing landfill gas. Landfill biogas can contain elevated nitrogen concentrations, which are difficult and costly to remove.

Traditional approaches typically require very tight contaminant control pre-treatment steps, higher operating pressures, a combination of adsorption and membrane technologies in multiple separation stages for N2 and CO2 removal, and complex balance-of-plant systems.

These requirements increase energy consumption, equipment costs, maintenance needs, and overall operational complexity, often limiting the financial viability of landfill RNG projects.

INTRUPTor™ rapid-cycle sorption technology addresses these challenges through a regenerative, streamlined platform. By utilizing structured MOFs in a single stage at near-ambient pressure, the system utilizes low-quality steam to rinse out contaminants alongside captured N2 and CO2 to deliver pipeline-quality renewable natural gas (RNG) without the need for multi-stage processing.

Due to its regenerative cyclic operation, the INTRUPTor™ can easily tolerate and reject higher levels of contaminants compared to other industrial solutions.

This simplifies pre-treatment configuration and supports easier deployment, smaller system footprints, reduced consumables energy consumption, and more straightforward operation compared with conventional upgrading solutions.

The INTRUPTor™ platform by Hydron Energy represents a pivotal step toward transforming the economics of RNG production from landfill sites.

By combining two of the most challenging separation steps into one efficient process, Hydron's solution enables producers to achieve market-acceptable RNG quality at a materially lower cost.

This can improve the viability of landfill projects of varying sizes, creating tangible economic value for developers, operators, municipalities, and other stakeholders. Using conventional biogas upgrading technologies, RNG often struggles to compete directly with fossil fuel-based natural gas on cost. Hydron's INTRUPTor™ offers a game-changing pathway to close that gap. By reducing complexity, lowering costs, and improving project economics, the technology makes RNG more competitive with fossil natural gas while supporting the broader transition to cleaner energy.

Figure 1. INTRUPTor Mobile Plant demonstrating landfill biogas upgrading at Bailey Landfill, Chilliwack, B.C.

2

INNOVATIONS

What Makes an RNG Plant Truly Efficient?

What Makes an RNG Plant Truly Efficient? Looking Beyond Nameplate Performance to Long-Term Operational Efficiency

By PRODEVAL

Efficiency in renewable natural gas production is often measured through a few key technical indicators: methane recovery, energy consumption and upgrading capacity. These metrics matter. But they only tell part of the story.

For RNG operators, true efficiency is measured over years of operation. It depends not only on how a plant performs under nominal conditions, but also on how consistently it produces, how efficiently it can be maintained, and how well it adapts as operating conditions evolve.

From Technical Efficiency to Operational Performance

Every percentage point of methane recovery matters. So does every kilowatt-hour consumed. But performance also depends on one critical factor: availability.

An upgrading system that performs efficiently when running but experiences extended downtime can directly affect the amount of renewable gas available for sale or injection. This is why PRODEVAL approaches efficiency as a combination of interconnected factors:

• Methane Recovery
• Energy Consumption
• Availability
• Reliability
• Maintainability
• Adaptability

PRODEVAL’s VALOPUR® membrane upgrading technology is designed to deliver high methane recovery while controlling energy consumption across varying operating conditions. But engineering performance is only the starting point.

PRODEVAL’s global portfolio comprises more than 800 projects, primarily Biogas upgrading units, alongside BioCO₂ liquefaction systems and BioCNG fueling stations.

Experience from installations in operation provides valuable feedback across a wide range of configurations, operating conditions and market environments. These insights continuously inform improvements in system design, maintenance strategies, operational support and long-term performance.

Efficiency Does Not Stop at Commissioning

As an RNG facility operates, conditions can change. Feedstock composition may evolve. Biogas flow rates may increase or decrease. Equipment ages. Production objectives can change. Maintaining efficiency therefore requires continuous attention throughout the plant

2 lifecycle. Remote monitoring and data analysis can help identify deviations before they affect production. Preventive maintenance can reduce the risk of unplanned downtime. Access to technical expertise and spare parts can shorten response times when intervention is required. PRODEVAL combines its upgrading technology with lifecycle services including: 24/7 Technical Support · Remote Monitoring · Maintenance · Spare Parts Availability · Plant Optimization Designing for the Long Run Efficiency should also include the ability to evolve. Rather than considering commissioning as the end point of a project, operators increasingly need to consider how their facility will perform five, ten or more years into operation. Can capacity be increased? Can an existing installation be optimized? Can new requirements be integrated without replacing the entire system? Through optimization, retrofit and upgrading services, existing facilities can evolve alongside operational needs and market conditions. Ultimately, the most efficient RNG plant is not simply the one that reaches the best performance on day one. It is the one designed to keep delivering performance, availability and value throughout its operating life.