Azura Associates

4 5 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 11 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 11 and agronomic value. For instance, waste passing through an anaerobic digester does not lose nitrogen or phosphorus, so its value as fertilizer does not diminish.” Ellis sees waste management as going beyond environmental stewardship and the production of green energy, arguing that it has a more significant role to play in food security. “Much of our food comes from oil,” he says. “ Most ammonia fertilizer comes from natural gas, and without natural gas, we would not be able to support anywhere near the number of people in the world currently. Waste has tremendous value due to its agronomic properties like nitrogen and phosphorus, and much can be achieved if food waste is properly processed instead of ending up in a landfill.” Azura fits into this waste management jigsaw puzzle by helping ensure waste management projects are built while considering all the risks and dependencies that might cause them to fail. The company’s services span the full life-cycle of a biogas project, from initial due diligence, regulatory compliance, and concept design review, to development risk management, process troubleshoots and even sometimes litigation support. “Risk mitigation is one of the primary areas we work in, and this is because the industry does not yet have enough standardized controls to refer to,” says Ellis. “For example, NOAA data indicated that half of the US experienced drought conditions this year while at the same time, some areas are experiencing 1000-year storm events. These conditions make it extremely difficult for project owners to future-proof projects, and that is where our expertise comes in.” Balance Biogas is looking at developing the first food-waste-to-biogas systems in the Yukon. Anaerobic digesters are already proven to work well, with several operating north of the arctic circle in Europe. These systems will help manage food and organic waste in a sustainable way, and also produce low-carbon heat and power for the AZURA ASSOC I ATES ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦