RIMEDIA is a powdered blend of essential trace elements for biogas plants, serving a similar purpose as INTEGRA but in a solid form. It comes as a pre-formulated mix of micronutrients that can be dosed into the digester to correct and prevent trace element deficiencies. RIMEDIA is particularly convenient for operators who prefer a solid additive – it is packaged in ready-to-use doses within biodegradable bags, making it safe and easy to handle. By using RIMEDIA, AD plant operators can sustain high microbial activity, stable fermentation, and improved methane yields even when using challenging or nutrient-poor feedstocks. It’s an excellent tool to address issues like slow biogas production or accumulation of acids (VFAs) that could indicate a micronutrient shortfall.
Comprehensive Trace Elements in Powder Form: RIMEDIA provides a full spectrum of trace metals and vitamins needed for anaerobic digestion. It’s a one-step solution to give your microbes everything they require for optimal biogas production.
Easy Handling Doses: The product is dosed in biodegradable bags which can be added to the digester as-is. This means no measuring out powders or risking spillage – simply toss the pre-measured bag into the solid feeder or mixing tank, where it dissolves and releases the nutrients.
Fast Intervention for Process Imbalances: If your plant experiences a VFA spike or performance drop, RIMEDIA can be used in targeted dosing to quickly resolve fermentation issues. Its concentrated formula helps bring the digester chemistry back into balance, preventing prolonged downtime or performance loss.
Improved Methane Yield and Stability: Regular use of RIMEDIA ensures the microbial population is well-nourished, leading to higher methane yields from the same feedstock and greater stability. This translates to more energy and revenue without changing your feed mix.
Long Shelf Life and Storage: As a dry powder, RIMEDIA is stable in storage and has a long shelf life. It tolerates a range of temperatures (if kept dry) and can be stocked on-site, ensuring you always have supply ready when needed.
RIMEDIA works on the same principles as other trace element supplements: by eliminating micronutrient limitations in the digester. The powder contains chelated trace elements that dissolve into the fermenter liquid once the biodegradable bag melts. These micronutrients become immediately available for uptake by anaerobic bacteria and archaea. If a digester has been accumulating fatty acids (VFAs) due to a micronutrient bottleneck, RIMEDIA’s infusion of the lacking element can reactivate the stalled metabolic pathway. The result is a drop in inhibitory VFAs and a rebound in methane production. Essentially, RIMEDIA catalyzes the AD process by empowering the native microbial enzymes, leading to smoother, faster fermentation and preventing issues like sour digester or high residuals in the digestate.
RIMEDIA is used by adding the powder (inside its soluble bag) directly into the digester feed. There are a couple of ways to apply:
Solid Feeding System: Place the RIMEDIA bag into the feed (or on a conveyor with other feedstock) so it gets mixed into the input stream.
Premix or Slurry Tank: If your setup has a mixing tank before the main digester, you can drop the bag into this tank. It will dissolve and distribute the trace elements in the mix, which then gets pumped into the fermenter.
Dosing can vary depending on the situation. For routine supplementation, your Realistic Agri advisor will recommend a dose based on plant size and feedstock. In problem situations (for example, when there’s a VFA accumulation or clear signs of micronutrient deficiency), a guideline dose is 2.5 to 5.0 kg of RIMEDIA per day for every 100 kW of plant capacity, continued until the issue is resolved. So a 500 kW plant might use 12.5–25 kg daily in the short term to fix a problem. Once the digester is back in balance, the dosage may be tapered or switched to a maintenance level. Always adhere to the recommendations provided and adjust based on regular digestate analyses – over-supplementation should be avoided, just as under-supplementation should.
Typical pack sizes are 2.5 kg or 5 kg bags. Often one bag corresponds to one dose for a certain plant size (for example, one 5 kg bag per day for a ~100 kW unit during recovery). Because the bags are biodegradable, they can be added whole; the bag will break down in the digester without harming the process.
RIMEDIA is packaged in biodegradable paper bags of about 2.5 kg or 5 kg each. These are shipped in boxes that protect them from moisture. For example, you might receive a sealed bucket containing numerous soluble bags.
Storage: Keep RIMEDIA in a dry environment, as moisture can weaken the bags or cause clumping of the powder. A cool, dark storage area is ideal to maintain its shelf life.
Handling: The pre-packaged bags mean you have no direct contact with the powder. When it’s time to dose, simply grab a bag and add it to the system – no need to open it. This design prevents dust from getting airborne, which is safer and cleaner for the operator. Nonetheless, general PPE like gloves and dust masks (if handling many bags in an enclosed space) is a good practice. The packaging is environmentally friendly; any fragments of the bag will break down in the digester. If a bag ever ruptures outside the digester, just sweep or vacuum the powder and avoid inhaling it.
Using RIMEDIA contributes to ROI in a few important ways:
Higher Gas Production: By enabling more complete digestion, RIMEDIA can lead to a higher methane output per ton of feedstock. This means more electricity or biomethane to sell for the same feed cost, directly improving revenue.
Reduced costly Downtime: Trace element deficiencies can lead to souring or slowdowns that might even require partial shutdowns or expensive interventions (like importing fresh digestate or adding costly chemicals). RIMEDIA’s preventative role helps avoid the losses and costs associated with digester upsets, thus protecting your income.
Optimised Feedstock Use: A balanced digester can sometimes handle a higher feeding rate or a cheaper mix of inputs (like more fibrous or lower-quality substrates) without ill effects, because the microbes are in good shape. This flexibility can reduce feedstock costs and allow you to take advantage of opportunistic feed sources, improving margins.
Ease of Use (Labour Savings): The simplicity of dosing RIMEDIA (no measuring or daily prep work) can save labour time for plant operators, which helps free up staff to focus on other tasks.
Longevity of Plant: Over the long term, maintaining a healthy digestion process can actually extend the life of your biogas plant equipment. Consistent operation without toxic spikes or crashes puts less stress on components (like mixers, pumps, engines) and avoids corrosion issues from things like excessive acids or H₂S that can occur in an imbalanced digester. This means fewer repairs and replacements, another cost saving.
In summary, RIMEDIA helps ensure you get more energy conversion out of every pound of substrate, while minimising disruptions – a combination that usually pays back the additive cost many times over in a well-managed AD facility.