Azura Associates
22 King Street South, Suite 300 Waterloo, ON, Canada

Azura Associates International

This week! Thursday June 18, 2020, be sure to tune in to pt3 of the Canadian Biogas Association Value of Biogas Webinar Series. Azura's David Ellis will be speaking on managing changing feedstocks for performance, stability, and optimizing biogas in a Black Swan event. https://lnkd.in/e9ANrMZ #biogas #renewables #renewableenergy #wastetoenergy

Is a digester right for your hog farm? Our panel at Ontario Pork will answer your questions

Farmers can be more efficient by optimizing operation of their anaerobic digesters. Azura’s team has years of experience helping clients do just that. On March 23, 2018, Azura’s Dave Ellis will be presenting at the 2018 Value of Biogas East Conference. His topicImproving Efficiency: Latest Technological Advances and Operational Adjustments. Dave will discuss the latest developments in feedstock pretreatment and how to prevent your digester from foaming. Be sure to attend to hear the latest on this important topic. https://biogasassociation.ca/value_of_biogas_/vob_2018_east

Exciting new processes and technology may lead to Net Zero wastewater plants in the future. Azura recently consulted with an inventor of a sludge pretreatment process to boost methane production from food waste. By breaking down cell walls, digesters can produce biogas more rapidly and more efficiently. We are happy to have provided an assessment of this new application and examined the business case for the process. If you think you’ve found a better treatment process and want to have an experienced engineer take a look, let us know. www.azuraassociates.com

Knowing how much flow goes through a wastewater treatment plant is critical for operational calculations. And regulatory agencies require submission of accurate flow data. Azura’s team has expertise in the maintenance and calibration of flow meters. For example, they recently completed annual inspection and physical testing of a 9-inch Parshall flume for an industrial wastewater plant. They provided an engineering document certifying the meter’s calibration. Are your flow meter calibrations due? Contact Azura! www.azuraassociates.com

When a wastewater plant busts its permit limits, there’s no time to spare when it comes to getting it back on track. Azura came to the rescue of a major industrial wastewater facility after a loss of nitrification. The team provided emergency process support, troubleshooting, and re-seeding the plant. Azura’s team has no problem pulling on boots and getting in the field to solve a problem. Keep Azura’s information handy in case you need help in a hurry! www.azuraassociates.com

#Farmers are some of Azura’s favorite clients. Azura’s team loves to help boost the performance of anaerobic digesters at farms. Most of Azura’s farm clients are in southwestern Ontario, between Toronto and Detroit. But now, Azura is expanding their service area to the east, including the Ottawa-Montreal corridor. Need help with your #biogas digester operation? Azura’s team is ready to assist. www.azuraassociates.com

The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) has been hard at work sampling anaerobic digesters in Ontario, Canada. These test reports contain important information about the health of the digesters. Having an expert in anaerobic digestion review the detailed information can help improve biogas digester operation and save costs. Azura’s team has already helped one client by finding high copper levels, and suggesting operational changes. Azura is offering farmers a free review of their digester data, along with a telephone consultation at no cost. Interested? Contact Azura today! www.azuraassociates.com

Barbeque chicken tastes great! But it takes more than a trip to the store and a hot grill to get it on the table. To be sustainable, food processing industries also need waste treatment facilities. Azura Associates helped a chicken slaughterhouse get a sick anaerobic digester back to health. Azura’s team performed a complete digester health assessment for their digester. Through extensive sampling and testing, Azura was able to help the client nurse their digester back to healthy performance. With the help of the team’s in-depth experience, their plant is saving energy and helping the environment. And helping us get food on the table. www.azuraassociates.com

Water utilities are always looking for innovative ways to conserve resources. On October 30, Azura’s Dave Ellis attended a joint SOWN / OCWA workshop, Getting to Net Zero. The focus of the forum will be to ensure at least 5 wastewater treatment plants in Ontario are net zero energy in the next 5 years. Representatives from companies, government, and the research community will look at ways to take energy usage to net zero. The ultimate goal will be resource recovery and reduction of greenhouse gases. The workshop is part of Ontario’s Water Innovation Week. www.azuraassociates.com

Azura’s team enjoys helping farmers be more efficient while helping the environment. Azura’s R&D team developed a proprietary chemical blend to clean hard scale from wedgewire screens that are part of the digestate pressing process for an on-farm digester. Digestate is fed into the press, and the recovered fibre is reused as bedding for cattle. Liquid passes through the screen and is stored before being land applied as nitrogen-rich fertilizer. Press operation was severely hindered by the build up of this tough scale that can’t be removed by scrubbing or pressure washing. The photos below show before and after cleaning. Instead of buying a costly replacement screen, farmers are now able to clean and refurbish their digester equipment for a fraction of the cost. www.azuraassociates.com

Sometimes clients need help with legal issues related to water quality. Azura is providing ongoing litigation support for an attorney. Azura’s team reviewed water treatment system data and information from an equipment failure. Using our 25 years of experience we can provide an Expert Opinion and assist with the case. www.azuraassociates.com

Environmental sustainability is one of today’s buzzwordsbut at Azura, we take protecting the environment seriously. As part of Azura’s sustainability initiative, we have solar panels on our offices. And on sunny days, we’re operating on 100% solar power! At Azura, we help our clients protect the environment, and we like to do our part as well. www.azuraassociates.com