Innovation award for novel biogas measurement instrument

The groundbreaking Vaisala MGP261 biogas instrument has  been announced as a winner in the Finnish Quality Innovation competition, where it won the Circular economy and carbon neutrality innovations category. After being recognized as an outstanding example of innovation in the field of sustainable technologies, the instrument now advances to the finals of the global Quality Innovation Award competition.

“This is a great recognition for a product as revolutionary as the MGP261. The Vaisala Carbocap MGP261 multigas instrument for methane, carbon dioxide and humidity  was first introduced in early 2019, with instant benefits for the biogas industry. The Vaisala MGP261 transforms waste into value: The better the entire process is monitored and optimized by reacting to changes in gas composition and humidity, the more efficient the biogas plant becomes. This translates directly into improved profitably for customers and is also good for the planet,” says Vaisala Project Manager Otto Tierto.

Lowering greenhouse gas emissions and responding to waste management issues in a time of population growth is challenging. Renewable energy, especially biogas, is a key part of the solution:

Industrial and municipal waste and wastewater treatment plants, landfills, and even farms can produce electricity and heat from biowaste by using a combined heat and power engine. But running one profitably means improving the quality of the produced biogas; this has been a tough goal to achieve, until now.

The Vaisala MGP261 is the world’s first in situ three-in-one biogas measurement instrument. It works directly in the biogas stream and is Ex certified up to zone 0.

 “We all need to do everything we can to halt the climate change by transitioning to a circular economy and turning waste into energy,” says Jutta Hakkarainen, Vaisala’s Industrial Measurements Business’ Strategy and Business Development Director. “In a resource-efficient business, raw materials are used in an economical and sustainable manner instead of letting them go to waste. Vaisala’s MGP261 multigas instrument helps the biogas production processes become more efficient and improves the biogas quality.”

The Quality Innovation Award competition was founded by Laatukeskus Excellence Finland in 2007. It has since grown to become an annual international competition with eight categories. Vaisala’s viewLinc Continuous Monitoring System won the global Quality Innovation Award in 2018 in the Business Innovation category for large companies. In 2021 the international award ceremony will take place in February in Belgrade, Serbia.