Top: New e-guide from Vaisala on biogas monitoring. Graphic courtesy of Vaisala

Vendors in the anaerobic digestion and biogas industries can be a useful source of informational materials to help understand the design and operation of equipment and facilities. For example, a Vaughan Company webinar in September dove into the topic of how to receive and classify organic waste streams for codigestion, without upsetting the biology of the digester and putting its stability at risk (a recording is available). On November 10, Paques is hosting a webinar on anaerobic wastewater and biogas treatment. Topics to be covered include the advantages of treating wastewater anaerobically, distinctions between granular and flocculent anaerobic sludge systems, and a review of the types of technologies.

Vaisala, which manufacturers instrumentation that connects with a biogas plant’s monitoring system, has a new e-guide, “Turn on Your Bio-Engine.” The guide reviews some overall measurement parameters that help ensure proper functionality of the digester and reduce air emissions. These include operating temperature of the digester; hydraulic and organic loading rates of the feed; ammonia and volatile fatty acid concentration (both in the digestate and within the digester); levels of the digester liquid and foam; and biogas quality, composition, quantity and pressure. In terms of monitoring biogas production, the e-guide has a diagram showing critical control points. These include the CHP engine and if it is protected from moisture, the reliability of the methane data, and whether active carbon filters in the scrubber need to be replaced frequently.