Anaerobic Digestion Expert

What is an anaerobic digestion expert? Anaerobic digestion is the natural process in which microorganisms break down organic materials.  In this instance, “organic” means coming from or made of plants or animals.  Anaerobic digestion happens in closed spaces where there is no air (or oxygen).  The initials “AD” may refer to the process of anaerobic digestion or the built system where anaerobic digestion takes place, also known as a digester.  The following materials are generally considered “organic” and can be processed in a digester:  animal manures, food scraps, fats, oils, and greases, industrial organic residuals, and biosolids like sewage sludge.

Biogas is generated during anaerobic digestion when microorganisms break down organic materials in the absence of oxygen.  Biogas is mostly methane and carbon dioxide, with small amounts of water vapor and other gases. The carbon dioxide and other gases can be removed, leaving only the methane, the primary component of natural gas.  The material left after anaerobic digestion has occurred is digestate, a wet mixture that is usually separated into a solid and a liquid. Digestate is rich in nutrients and often used as fertilizer for crop.

An Anaerobic Digestion expert or Anaerobic Digestion consultant is someone who has significant background in this area, through education and/or experience.  They may have degrees in Civil or Environmental Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Biology and specific expertise in related areas. The Anaerobic Digestion expert may assist clients/investors in selecting the right Anaerobic Digestion technology and in preparing due diligence/feasibility studies and loan/grant applications. During design, the Anaerobic Digestion expert may perform a peer review of the design, prepare cost opinions and assist with permit applications.  During construction, the Anaerobic Digestion expert may assist with construction oversight of the facility and provide commissioning reports. They may also provide operator training, start-up assistance and recipe management to assist in making the facilities run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. In matters involving Anaerobic Digestion litigation, the consultant may serve an expert witness and assist the attorneys with understanding the processes and related technical issues and may testify in court about Anaerobic Digestion technology, economics and related matters.

At Lee Enterprises Consulting, we have a number of highly qualified anaerobic digestion experts available to assist you with any related matters. We are the world’s premier bioeconomy consulting group, with over 150 highly qualified experts serving in all these areas.  Take a look at our experts and the services we provide and you will see that we have just the right expert for any clean energy project.  Most of our experts are also available to advise and serve as expert witnesses in bioeconomy litigation matters.  For the larger projects, we specialize in putting together full service, interdisciplinary teams with one point of contact.  Call us at 1+ (501) 833-8511 or email us for more information. See also:  Anaerobic Digestor Practical Design Realities