Process challenges in the field of anaerobic digestion in BP

Video Summary:

Nowadays, the operation of the "black box" problem biogas plant is far below its true potential. Most biogas digesters are 'black boxes' with little understanding of their internal conditions. The fundamental lack of understanding of processing technology leads to low processing efficiency and limits the technical and economic potential of AD.

In order to promote the development of the industry, it is crucial for us to change the operation mode of the AD factory. We don't need to operate the 'black box', but rather tools and knowledge to guide easily understandable biochemical processes and overcome any challenges we face.

Improve efficiency and profitability by addressing process challenges

Unlike engineering challenges (randomly occurring problems in factories, such as actuator, pump, and instrument failures), process challenges involve different strategies used to guide the process in the correct direction. This includes challenges encountered in raw material management, raw material pretreatment, additive addition, feed strategy, mixing, process monitoring and control, gas distribution and utilization, and digestion management.

When improving our processes and addressing key process challenges, we can maximize process efficiency and stability, as well as the profitability of factory operations.

Three key factors that can improve process efficiency:

Obtain more process information

As we have already mentioned, the key to progress is to have more information and knowledge about the AD process. This means more frequent sampling, better online and more routine offline analysis, and process diagnosis. These improvements will provide factory operators with more information about raw material mixtures, degradation levels, biological process status, process unit utilization rates, and other aspects.

Specifically, the variability of raw materials is often a major challenge for AD plants. If more information about the quality of raw materials and their impact on the process can be obtained, AD factory can better control the process and avoid problems.

Operator Training

The skill level of your operator will determine the success of the biogas plant. The operator is the brain that controls the process, usually distinguishing between processes that perform well and those that perform poorly. To ensure that your operators have sufficient skill levels, you may need to invest in education and learning tools. It is also important to find effective ways for operators to exchange knowledge and experience with each other.

Work smarter

With the increasing demand for better process information, there is no longer a need to rely on manual programs to monitor and analyze processes, as they are very laborious. Instead, we need automated and intelligent instruments to provide simple and accurate measurements with minimal manpower and skill requirements. It is also important to carefully collect, interpret, and analyze all available data so that operational decisions can be based on overall performance rather than just individual process parameters.

Conclusion:

More intelligent instruments, more sampling, and better employee education greatly improve operational efficiency. It also contributes to the development of the AD department. In this course, we discuss the main challenges and review existing solutions to achieve the goals.