Consulting services
Biogas Consulting SA offers a professional consulting service to address any issues related to organic waste management challenges.
Since 2008, Biogas Consulting SA has actively engaged in the waste-to-energy sector, with a particular emphasis on biogas. Throughout our journey, we have amassed extensive experience and knowledge related to the development of biogas projects within the intricate South African framework.
We offer consultancy services to a diverse spectrum of clients, providing them with sustainable solutions for the efficient management of their organic waste. Our primary objective is to convert this waste into energy, while also offering alternative waste effluent management solutions. We possess specialized expertise in the agricultural sector and the food processing industry, enabling us to deliver tailored solutions that meet the unique needs of our clients.
Small-Scale Biogas Advisory
We provide consulting support to clients exploring small-scale biogas solutions for homes, schools, small farms, and community applications.
Converting food waste and other organic materials into energy and high-quality organic fertiliser offers an excellent solution for managing organic waste at household and community level. Small-scale biogas digesters are well suited to smallholdings, schools, restaurants, local communities, and informal settlements, offering a reliable source of energy for cooking and an effective alternative to fossil fuels. For rural households in particular, biogas eliminates the need for indoor wood burning, addressing significant health and safety risks.
We assist clients in assessing the technical and financial feasibility of small-scale digester solutions, advising on appropriate technology selection, system sizing, and implementation pathways. We also help clients identify potential funding mechanisms, including corporate social investment programmes and international grant opportunities, which have historically been the primary enablers of small-scale biogas adoption in South Africa.
Industrial scale Biogas Project Consulting
We provide specialist consulting services to support the development of industrial-scale biogas projects, advising clients across the full project development cycle — from feedstock assessment and technical scoping through to financial structuring, regulatory compliance, and operational readiness.
The development of any large-scale industrial biogas project hinges on two primary factors: the availability of appropriate organic waste and the financial viability of the project. Our role is to provide clients with the rigorous independent analysis needed to assess both.
A biogas project cannot proceed without access to a sufficient supply of organic waste meeting specific standards of quantity, quality, and long-term availability. We assist clients in characterising their feedstock, modelling biogas yields, and translating these into defensible design parameters and cost estimates.
The primary revenue streams for a biogas project typically derive from the sale of energy — whether as electricity, thermal energy, or biomethane — with supplementary income potentially available from digestate sales and carbon finance. We advise clients on the full financial picture, helping them assess whether projected returns meet the threshold required by their financiers and other stakeholders.
Our consulting support ensures that clients are equipped with the technical and financial evidence needed to make sound investment decisions and, where relevant, to attract development finance or private investment.
Biogas Feasibility Studies:
We conduct the full range of feasibility studies related to waste-to-energy projects.
We undertake the full range of biogas related feasibility studies, from initial scoping studies, to compiling comprehensive bankable feasibility studies to suit the requirements set by financiers. Our expertise covers the full spectrum of waste-to-energy applications from small scale domestic applications and community based projects, to large industrial scale projects.
We have also conducted numerous studies and reports for institutions such as UNIDO, UNDP, GIZ and various municipalities and government departments.
Biogas Training and Workshops:
We provide all levels of training related to biogas.
BiogasSA is actively involved in the promotion of the biogas industry in South Africa. Over the years we have developed and presented numerous informative workshops and training programs. We have also been involved in the development of an accredited biogas training program for the NCPC/CSIR (https://www.industrialefficiency.co.za/biogas-systems-optimisation). Mark Tiepelt is currently one of only two fully accredited trainers for the NCPC Biogas Expert Course.
We regularly host our popular 1 day, online ‘Biogas Project Developer’s Workshop’.
Effluent management Advisory
Where anaerobic digestion is not the most appropriate or financially viable solution, we advise clients on alternative organic waste and effluent management options tailored to their specific circumstances.
In the agricultural sector in particular, where the primary waste stream is manure slurry, conventional settlement pond systems are often inefficient and generate persistent challenges around odour control and effluent quality. We advise clients on proven alternative technologies suited to their scale and budget, including micro-aeration systems capable of managing microbial breakdown aerobically.
One such technology we recommend where appropriate is the Dryden Diffuser system — a patented micro-aeration solution that can be retrofitted cost-effectively to existing effluent ponds. It has a demonstrated track record in significantly reducing COD, eliminating odours, and restoring dissolved oxygen levels in severely degraded water bodies. A notable example was its successful deployment at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town following the decomposition of approximately 400 tonnes of fish in an enclosed basin, where oxygen levels were restored from near-zero to 70% within two weeks of installation.
Our role is to assess client circumstances, recommend appropriate solutions, and support implementation through specialist contractor engagement — not to supply or install systems directly.
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