DIGESTER DOC

The Valkyrie: A Digester Health Game Changer

When Digester Doc was founded nine years ago, its main impetus—as the company name suggests—was to diagnose problems in anaerobic digesters and prescribe treatments to bring them back to a healthy state, says president Will Charlton. Armed with the knowledge and experience that every system is different, Charlton—who has a background in organic chemistry and microbiology—and his team set out to devise a system capable of meeting each individual digester’s needs. “At the same time, we were working to curb this ongoing myth that additives are bad—based on some negative experiences with some suppliers—and bring the science to the table,” he says. “Some problems don’t have a mechanical solution, which is when biology comes into play.”

As for some examples of the biological problem-solving capabilities of Digester Doc, Charlton points to a dairy digester that was operating significantly below its electrical generating capacity. “We helped them go from 5 MW per day to 52 MW,” Charlton says. Another digester using municipal waste was foaming nonstop for months. “It was like a wastewater geyser,” he says. “Not only did we put a Band-Aid on it, but we went down deep and found the core of the problem, which was that somebody was dumping waste oil down the sewer. Science was used to help solve those problems, because we know that if we look deep enough into the chemistry, at the trends and indicators, there are warning signs of an unhealthy digester.”

This knowledge led to the development of Valkyrie, a digester monitoring system that provides real-time, 24/7 digester health data. Collecting more than 15 different parameters, the system is designed to accommodate the diverse range of digester types, from 0.5% solids to 40%. And being a small piece of equipment that becomes an in-line instrument which is attached to the pipe, the Valkyrie doesn’t take up any real estate in the digester. “That’s one of the beauties of this system,” Charlton says. “It’s simple and low-profile.”

The Valkyrie’s capabilities are vast, according to Charlton. “It has ability to test all through the process,” he explains. “For example, how well COD is being broken down before water discharge, to how efficient the separator is moving total solids. We’re able to predict and detect foaming events, whether there is a toxicity in nutrients, or which food waste or organic materials has higher energy value than others. We can relate and translate all this information to help clients determine which ones are better for their digester and perform predictive analysis based on the combination of different parameters.”

Charlton highlights the 30-minute response time promised with installation. “Part of our M.O. is that we offer experienced professionals to provide friendly assistance to walk you through what’s going on and what changes need to be made,” he says.

Digester Doc is on target to officially launch the Valkyrie system by June. “It’s very innovative,” Charlton adds. “We’re tipping the scales for anerobic digesters, taking them to a whole new level of operational efficiency.”