auma advises on the operation of a biogas plant fed with livestock waste in Chile and trains its operating team. An international assignment where the deliverable is not a document but the local team's ability to run the plant.
Project overview
| Client | Energy company (confidential) |
| Market | Industry |
| Practice area | Waste and circular economy · Energy transition |
| Location | Chile |
| Services | Technical advisory and operator training |
| Period | 2024 – 2025 |
The challenge
A biogas plant almost never fails because of its equipment: it fails because of how the biological process inside is run.
- A living process: anaerobic digestion depends on load, temperature and pH balances that have to be read and corrected.
- Variable feedstock: livestock manure changes composition with the farm and the season.
- Distance: the support had to work thousands of kilometres away and under a different regulatory framework.
The auma solution
The assignment was framed as knowledge transfer, not one-off consultancy:
- Advisory on process operating conditions and the critical control parameters.
- Specific training for the operating team on how anaerobic digestion behaves and how to resolve incidents.
- Monitoring criteria so the local team can diagnose deviations without relying on external support.
The result
- The local team has its own criteria to operate and correct the process.
- Technical knowledge transferred and documented, not dependent on continuous assistance.
- auma experience in bioenergy applied outside the European market and its regulatory framework.
In bioenergy, the project ends the day the people working there every day understand why the digester behaves the way it does.
Frequently asked questions
Why produce biogas from livestock manure?
Because manure is an abundant waste with high methane potential. Digesting it produces renewable energy, cuts the methane emissions of conventional management and yields digestate usable as fertiliser.
What determines a biogas plant's performance?
Feedstock composition and stability, the organic load applied, temperature and retention times, and control of parameters such as pH and volatile fatty acids. Operation matters as much as design.
Why does training the operating team matter?
It is what makes the investment sustainable. A team that understands the biological process anticipates deviations and avoids shutdowns; a team that only follows routines depends on external support every time something changes.
Is your bioenergy plant underperforming?
We advise on operation and train your team so the process stops being a black box.
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