Raising Standards in the AD Industry

Professionalism and Due Diligence Matter from Cradle to Grave, writes Jason Taylor, Technical Manager, Industries & Environment (I&E) with SGS, Headline Sponsor of the ADBA Scottish National Conference, taking place 26 March in Edinburgh.

Jason will be speaking at the conference, and delegates will be able to see SGS’ unique Vent-Less Valve Testing machine, designed to ensure industrial tank valves are tested and compliant.

The anaerobic digestion (AD) industry is poised to be a key player in the transition to a low-carbon economy. Before it can maximise its environmental and economic benefits, the industry will rightly be put under greater scrutiny and must be seen to adopt the highest standards of professionalism, rigorous due diligence and best practices—right from design through to operation.

In comparable sectors, like fossil oil and gas, rigorous due diligence is standard practice. Every stage of development, from design and equipment selection to operational monitoring, undergoes stringent testing, verification and inspection. The AD industry should be no different. It is a gas plant after all.

The transferable skills should be capitalised on to smooth the energy transition. At SGS we have years of experience of working across the gas sectors, old and new.

We offer the cradle-to-grave services to the biogas industry that have been standard on the fossil side for a long time—from reviewing initial designs and equipment specifications to conducting routine technical inspections when operational. These steps are critical to ensuring long-term efficiency, compliance, and profitability. We are not the only ones. This is essential.

Biomethane is often called a green gas, but if 20% of it is leaking into the atmosphere, it loses both its sustainability credentials and financial value. Methane leaks don’t just damage the environment—they represent a direct financial loss. Without proper monitoring, verification, and logging of emissions, operators risk losing thousands of pounds in unaccounted revenue while also failing to meet regulatory requirements.

Under the government’s anaerobic digestion improvement programme, the Environment Agency is reviewing its leak detection and repair (LDAR) requirements to develop consistent reporting from the sector and more LDAR requirements are being added to environmental permits as part of its permit review programmes. This will put the AD sector under additional scrutiny, SEPA will also looking at this.

Operators and developers need to ensure they have routine site inspections, and regular professional inspections to ensure that integral plant (pressure release valves, pumps, pipes and tanks) are sound and functioning efficiently. The risk of not doing so could be profound.

As you need an authorised MOT inspector to declare your car roadworthy or a CORGI-registered gas engineer to declare your boiler is safe, then it becomes apparent why you should call on professional qualified testing, inspection and certification companies like SGS to ensure your AD plant is running safely and efficiently.

SGS is a global Testing, Inspection and Certification company, with a network of over 2,500 laboratories and business facilities across 115 countries, supported by a team of 99,500 dedicated professionals. In the UK SGS has 48 offices and approximately 2000 employees, covering 7 different business lines, Industries and the Environment being one of those.

Jason Taylor, C.Eng, M.InstNDT, FASNT, BSc, NDT Level III, Technical Manager, Industries & Environment (I&E), SGS.

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