Anaerobic Digestion Sector Forming a Clearer Picture
Source: Brian Taylor | WASTE TODAY MAGAZINE
An association in Canada has issued anaerobic digestion guidelines for the growing sector, while a technology provider sees pasteurization as critical.
Anaerobic digestion (AD) as a conversion technology for discarded organic materials appears poised to retain its momentum in attracting investments in the waste and recycling sector.
The Ottawa-based Canadian Biogas Association (CBA) is tracking AD and other biogas installations north of the border and also has produced an AD Guideline document for existing and prospective AD plant operators.
Atlanta-based HRS Heat Exchangers, meanwhile, foresees downstream pasteurization technology as a likely pocket of AD-related investment in the agribusiness sector in particular.
A north star
An industry snapshot compiled by the CBA shows Canadian companies and municipalities have invested significantly in biogas projects during the 21st century.
The organization has identified more than 60 operating food and agricultural residue AD facilities and 86 wastewater treatment plants that produce biogas. Canada also has some 53 sites converting landfill gas into a usable energy product.
“AD has seen incremental growth in Canada over the last 10 years in the agricultural and commercial space,” says Jennifer Green of the CBA. She says municipalities have been using AD in the wastewater space “for decades,” and this sector is “now contemplating opportunities for co-digestion.”
An announcement about a new AD investment in Canada was made in February, when Montreal-based Xebec Adsorption Inc. and Bähler Biogas Inc., also based in Canada, completed an agreement to develop a facility to process “various organic wastes for the production of renewable natural gas (RNG) and biofertilizer.”
The Québec, Canada, facility will be designed to process more than 45,000 metric tons of organic waste per year through an AD process. The two-stage process will produce biogas that can be upgraded into renewable natural gas (RNG), according to the two companies.
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