Azura Associates
Azura Associates International Inc. focuses on making anaerobic digesters (AD) run better. Azura is an AD focused technical execution, regulatory compliance, and industrial advisory firm. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, Azura serves customers across North America. They offer services on bioprocess monitoring, microbiology optimization, and troubleshooting of biogas systems.
Azura Associates International Inc. focuses on making anaerobic digesters (AD) run better. Azura is an AD focused technical execution, regulatory compliance, and industrial advisory firm. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, Azura serves customers across North America. They offer services on bioprocess monitoring, microbiology optimization, and troubleshooting of biogas systems. Azura helps their customers achieve stable microbial ecosystems to maintain consistent biogas production, prevent foaming, and produce reliable revenue for their business. They provide personalized service, working directly with system owners to enhance their monitoring and testing programs, ensuring consistent process control, and stable results.
Clients have access to a diverse team of experts because of Azura’s business model. With only 2 full-time employees, Azura keeps overhead costs down while still drawing on a deep network of more than 25 associates. Many associates have been working together as a team for more than 20 years. The result is clients get cost-effective and custom solutions; fast, personal service; and a broad knowledge base combined with the depth of experience of much larger firms.
Azura’s Managing Director and Principal Consultant, David Ellis, started working with AD systems 25 years ago, in the municipal sewage treatment sector. Building on that experience, he has worked on large scale digesters for multi-national food-industry clients for 20 years. He has been involved in over 300 projects on 4 continents to date. Having previously worked for large, multi-national consulting companies, Dave’s career has come full circle as his first boss and mentor was working with early on-farm AD systems in the 80s. He is excited to be working with smaller systems again and helping farms find solutions for their unique digester issues.
In terms of the Canadian biogas market, he notes that “There is a lot of room for AD systems to profit from diverting green waste from landfills, and we are optimistic that we will see more of this type of diversion.” Bringing municipal waste to private digesters will provide both a stable feedstock supply and revenue, through tipping fees, for digester operators and waste diversion from landfills. Farmers will benefit from the additional feedstock supply in the marketplace.
Ellis says he has found his membership with the CBA to be very helpful to keep updated on the latest industry developments and he values the CBA’s advocacy to help educate decision makers in government. Being able to stay connected with the biogas industry is a priority for Azura and they appreciate the networking opportunities facilitated by the CBA. Ellis says “The CBA’s Value of Biogas Conference is the one place that I can connect with everyone in the community at one time in one location. It’s the greatest biogas information sharing and networking event.”
