Biogas Bottleneck: Data Collection
Biogas operations can be a complex puzzle with unique bottlenecks. These unique bottlenecks not only pose a challenge for daily operation but also for overall plant performance and long-term efficiency. The good news? Most of these issues can be addressed early on, and with the right digital tools, like automated biogas monitoring, even prevented entirely.
Challenges of Manual Data Collection
In many biogas plants, data collection still relies heavily on manual logging, and that’s where things start to get inefficient. Tracking key parameters by hand isn’t just time-consuming; it’s also draining resources. It takes up your valuable time, ties up staff, and leaves plenty of room for error.
Human Error
Manual entries are susceptible to mistakes, leading to inaccurate data that can misinform operational decisions. The ever-changing nature of core biological processes, when tracked using the traditional methods within biogas production, can complicate the data even more.
Lack of real-time insights
A delay in data recording means operators may react to issues after they’ve occurred, instead of proactively addressing them. The time lag between data collection and taking action can make it hard to implement the solution.
Data Integration
Assembling data from various tools and sources without a centralized hub makes it challenging for everyone to be on the same page, can give a wrong perspective of current results and makes it hard to comprehend the bigger picture.
Regulatory Compliance Risks
Inconsistent data can result in non-compliance with environmental monitoring regulations, potentially leading to legal repercussions.
The Downside of Inefficient Data Collection
Manual data collection can lead to several operational inefficiencies:
Operational Efficiency Gaps
Without accurate data, identifying and addressing operational inefficiencies, such as changes in the feedstock or digester conditions, becomes challenging, leading to suboptimal plant performance. Factors like temperature, pH, and feedstock management can affect the overall performance of the microbial community and overall biogas yield. '
Feedstock Optimization Challenges
Inadequate data hampers the ability to optimize feedstock mixtures that, in turn, affect the gas yield and quality. This could also lead to nutrient imbalances that could affect plant performance or the potential reuse of digestate as fertilizer in agriculture.
Process Stability Issues
The absence of real-time monitoring can result in undetected process instabilities, risking unexpected downtimes and maintenance needs. In some cases, a deviation of even less than 10% in the feedstock quantity can lead to a significant decrease in biogas production, highlighting the importance of precise monitoring.
These challenges create more than just short-term inefficiencies. On a day-to-day level, operators are left without the insights needed to make timely adjustments to feedstock inputs, manage digestion conditions, or detect early signs of process instability. This can lead to suboptimal gas yields, microbial imbalances, and unnecessary downtime. But the impact doesn’t stop there. Over time, these blind spots compound and pile up, making it harder for plant managers to forecast performance, plan feedstock strategies, and assess the financial viability of plant improvements or expansions. Without consistent and accurate data, long-term financial optimization, CI score improvements, and regulatory reporting become uphill battles.
Addressing these inefficiencies from the get-go is vital for enhancing the overall operational and financial stability of biogas plants.
Digital Monitoring for Enhanced Plant Stability
The integration of digital biogas monitoring tools like Anessa AI offers a transformative solution to the challenges posed by manual data collection:
Real-time data collection
Anessa AI offers a smooth integration of real-time plant data, allowing operators to continuously monitor, analyze and optimize the plant’s performance. By connecting with IoT sensors and external databases, the platform provides a comprehensive and dynamic view of the plant's operations. This real-time data feed enables predictive analysis, aiding plant managers in identifying emerging issues and taking corrective actions before they impact the operation.
Accuracy
Automation reduces human errors, leading to more reliable data collection. By accurately forecasting how changes in feedstock or digester conditions might impact both gas production and digestate quality, Anessa ensures plant operations are continuously optimized for maximum efficiency.
Centralized Hub
Anessa AI serves as a centralized hub for all project data, ensuring that the biogas plant operating team has access to the critical information they need throughout their lifespan. This means every piece of data, from initial feasibility studies to real-time operational metrics and long-term performance trends, is stored, tracked, and easily accessible in one place. Operators can monitor historical trends, compare past and present performance, and make data-driven decisions based on real-time insights. The system’s flexibility allows users to customize data storage, ensuring that everything from feedstock variations, process adjustments, financial records, and compliance reports is securely managed and readily available when needed.
Regulatory Compliance
Consistent and accurate data collection supports adhering to the ever-changing environmental regulations and simplifies reporting. Automated governmental compliance reports ensure operators meet environmental and regulatory standards.
Anessa AD M Platform screenshot
Customization: Tailor your dashboards
We recognize that no two biogas plants are identical, hence it’s essential to have customized monitoring solutions:
Scalability
Using the Anessa platform, biogas scenarios can be designed to scale with the plant’s capacity and complexity. Operators can simulate different feedstock compositions, optimizing for cost, methane yield and process stability. By visualizing the effects of various inputs, operators can easily determine the optimal feedstock blend for their plant’s unique needs. This approach eliminates the need for costly trial-and-error experimentation and improves decision-making.
User-friendly Interfaces'
Customized dashboards and reporting tools can be developed to meet the specific needs of stakeholders. Operators can focus on real-time process monitoring, while financial teams can track costs and revenue trends. Technical staff can analyze process efficiency and equipment performance, while executives can access high-level summaries for strategic planning.
Flexible dashboards, Anessa AD M platform
With the flexibility to create multiple dashboards for multiple use cases, Anessa ensures that every user sees the most relevant information, enabling faster, data-driven decision-making across the organization.
The ROI of Digitalization
Choosing Anessa AI isn’t just a step toward modernization; it’s a strategic investment with measurable returns. Across 14+ countries, our technology has helped biogas projects optimize over 27 million GJ of renewable natural gas and support the reduction of more than 2.4 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions. In one of the projects, Anessa helped prevent the overestimation of 53 million cubic feet of biogas per year, equivalent to nearly 30,000 MMBtu annually. By avoiding this miscalculation, the client averted a potential USD 2 million gap in projected annual revenue, ensuring more accurate financial planning and investor confidence.
In one of the retrofit projects, Anessa optimized an RNG plant in North America by enhancing key areas such as feedstock supply planning, process design, and RNG utilization. The process involved collecting historical, operational, and design data; conducting thorough biogas data analysis and due diligence; developing predictive models; and forecasting RNG production. This project clearly highlights the critical role of collecting the design and operational data, as well as the influence of carbon market dynamics on profitability and data-driven decision-making. The plant’s baseline production was 180,000 GJ/year with a carbon intensity (CI) score of 0 gCO₂e/MJ. Following Anessa’s optimization, the CI score improved to -50 gCO₂e/MJ, and RNG production increased to 230,000 GJ/year. These improvements resulted in greater GHG reductions and an additional 1.5 million CAD in annual revenue for the plant.
That’s an impact you can see in both performance metrics and the planet’s health. By automating data collection, streamlining decision-making, and optimizing feedstock and process conditions, Anessa drives increased biogas production, better energy efficiency, and significant cost savings across operations. At the same time, it supports long-term sustainability goals, whether that’s hitting your carbon intensity targets, qualifying for incentives, or simply running a cleaner, more resilient plant. With Anessa, digitalization becomes more than a buzzword. It becomes the foundation for smarter operations, stronger returns, and a more sustainable future.
These benefits underscore the financial and environmental advantages of adopting digital solutions in biogas operations.
Conclusion
The challenges of manual data collection and process monitoring in biogas plants present significant bottlenecks to efficiency and long-term profitability. Adopting Anessa AI addresses these challenges head-on, offering real-time insights, enhancing process stability, streamlining teamwork, and optimizing performance. By investing in Anessa, biogas plant operators can unlock substantial operational improvements and financial returns, paving the way for a more sustainable and profitable future in renewable energy production.
Written By:
Madiha Kantroo
Market Analyst
Mrs. Madiha Kantroo, holds a Masters in Environmental Management from the University of New Brunswick. Environmental studies hold a special place in her heart due to experiencing first-hand the impact of climate change in her home country. Her passion, in addition to her background in agriculture, made her a fantastic fit for the Anessa team. Most recently, Madiha joined the Anessa Team as a Market Analyst, using her unique blend of experience and education to communicate how specialized software solutions can help the biogas industry as a whole.
