Advanced Biogas Leak Detection for Landfills, Digesters, RNG, and Biogas Facilities
EPA-approved, drone-based methane emissions monitoring that delivers faster surveys, higher accuracy, and safer operations — all in one powerful solution.
“Sniffing for Dollars” Drone-Based Biogas Leak Detection for Landfills, Digesters, RNG, and Biogas Plants
Landfills, renewable natural gas (RNG), and biogas plants face a critical challenge: accurately detecting, controlling, and capturing biogas leaks. Methane is not only a potent greenhouse gas but also a profitable energy resource when collected. Missed leaks can result in regulatory violations and significant revenue loss. Sniffer Robotics delivers a smarter, faster, and more accurate solution with cutting-edge biogas leak detection technology, specifically designed for landfill, RNG, and Biogas operations.
Leveraging the revolutionary SnifferDRONE, featuring advanced CH4 detection systems, Sniffer Robotics empowers landfill operators and biogas plant operators to identify and pinpoint methane emissions in real time. Our technology automates emissions monitoring, offering the industry's most precise data collection system, improved safety for field operations, while optimizing renewable natural gas collection—protecting both your bottom line and the environment.
Leak Detection and
Deficiency Tagging
Aerial Leak Detection at Digestors and Lagoons
SnifferDRONE™, Thermal and Aerial imagery
Leak Quantification
Sniffer Robotics’ Methane Leak Detection Technology
Sniffer Robotics has developed a groundbreaking drone-based system designed specifically for methane leak detection. At the center of the solution is the SnifferDRONE™ CH₄ Gen II, an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a high-sensitivity methane sensor and a patented air sampling system. Unlike typical aerial sensors that detect methane in aerial plumes, the SnifferDRONE uses a patented flexible hose with a weighted nozzle to draw air samples from just 2 to 4 inches above the ground. This "hyper-local" sampling method captures methane concentrations directly at the leak source, enabling highly accurate detection of high- to-low-level fugitive emissions.
As the drone autonomously flies a programmed grid over a landfill surface or digester, it continuously logs methane readings linked to precise GPS coordinates. Thousands of data points are collected, including methane concentration levels (in parts per million) and environmental factors like wind speed. This information is processed through Sniffer Robotics’ cloud-based GIS platform, SnifferView™, which generates detailed full color heatmaps that highlight leak hotspots. Operators can easily visualize methane emissions across the site, pinpoint exact leak locations, and plan targeted repairs. Real-time updates are also available through the Sniffer Field Ops™ mobile app, making the data immediately actionable for compliance and maintenance teams.
Manual Leak Detection
The SnifferDRONE identifies leak locations with >90% accuracy. These leak sources are then manually verified using the industry-standard handheld Inficon CH4 detector to determine the precise location and concentration level. This redundancy eliminates the possibility of recording false positive or negative readings. Once the manual verification process is complete, the Sniffer Technician will plant a flag and upload the precise location (latitude and longitude) along with the concentration level of the leak to the cloud, making this information available in real-time on the SnifferView™ mobile app, which can then guide a repair technician directly to the leak source.
Positive Pressure Testing
While it is important to ensure that all available gas is collected from the negative pressure side of the gas collection system (landfill or digester), it is equally important to find and eliminate any leaks in the plant, in other words, in the positive pressure side of the gas pumping system.
Inspecting plants requires advanced technical skills, specialized tools, and a comprehensive understanding of renewable natural gas (RNG) operations. Experts from Sniffer use equipment such as SemTech High Flow, Inficon IRwin, and tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy detectors (TDLAS) to select the right tool for various inspection scenarios, including flanges, blowers, pumps, and more. They photograph, caption, geolocate, and physically tag all leak sources, which are then measured in Parts per Million (PPM) and Standard Cubic Feet per Minute (SCFM) and presented in a detailed full-color report. You’ve worked hard to collect all the gas from the site, don’t lose it before it gets into the pipeline.
Odor Hunting
Odors from fugitive emissions can result in complaints from neighbors and create challenges for plant operators. It is often difficult to pinpoint whether these odors originate from a landfill, a biodigester, or a plant. The technologies and processes offered by Sniffer Robotics assist in identifying the specific locations of odor leaks and confirming the type of gas involved, such as CH4 or H2S, along with their concentration levels. By implementing a comprehensive gas study that includes the field, wells, digesters, and all components of the plant, it becomes possible to detect and resolve emission odors, thus mitigating disputes among different operations.
Benefits of Advanced Biogas Leak Detection from Sniffer Robotics
Sniffer Robotics' approach delivers significant advantages compared to traditional walking surveys utilizing handheld detectors, providing more data that is more precise, efficient, for safer methane surface emissions monitoring.
High Accuracy
With near-surface (2-4”) air sampling and advanced sensors, the SnifferDRONE™ delivers extremely accurate leak detection. It can identify methane concentrations at trace levels and pinpoint discrete leaks that periodic ground patrols often miss. Field testing has verified leak source locations with approximately 90% accuracy—far surpassing traditional walking surveys. By minimizing both false positives and false negatives, Sniffer Robotics provides reliable, actionable data that operations managers can trust for data collection, quantification, and maintenance action planning.
_edited_edited.jpg)
Accurate Detection
Accuracy Matters. The Sniffer method has been proven to collect 3 to 5 times more data points than traditional gas inspection methods. Through automation, the SnifferDRONE can follow a precise inspection path that is infinitely repeatable into the future. Operators can be confident knowing that follow-up inspections are based on consistently collected data, allowing them to evaluate the effectiveness of remediation efforts and locate gas migration pockets.
Enhanced Safety
The SnifferDRONE method significantly improves worker safety by reducing the need for technicians to traverse dangerous landfill terrain. Minimizing the exposure of personnel to extreme heat, unstable slopes, mud, or hazardous gases, the drone collects detailed methane readings from the air. This not only reduces risk but also enhances consistency by removing human error from data collection. By flying autonomous, pre-programmed routes, Sniffer Robotics makes methane monitoring safer, smarter, and more reliable for landfill and RNG facility teams. The SnifferDRONE can also get to places that humans can’t, such as tall digestors.
Regulatory Validation
EPA-Approved Technology for Methane Monitoring
Sniffer Robotics' drone-based system is the only UAV method approved by the U.S. EPA as an alternative to traditional ground surveys:
✔
Recognized under Other Test Method (OTM) 51
✔
Listed as Alternative Method ALT-150
✔
Fully satisfies federal quarterly monitoring and Clean Air Act compliance
✔
Endorsed by the EPA as a "more comprehensive, more effective, and safer" alternative to walk-over inspections
Start Monitoring Smarter — Request a Demo Today
Don't let methane leaks go undetected or risk falling behind new regulatory standards. With Sniffer Robotics’ advanced biogas leak detection technology, you can ensure full compliance, protect valuable renewable energy resources, and improve operational efficiency — all with greater accuracy, speed, and safety.
✔
EPA-Approved Methane Emissions Monitoring
✔
Real-Time Landfill Surface Emissions Surveys
✔
Scalable Solutions for Landfills and RNG Facilities
Ready to see it in action?
Request a Demo or Contact Us today and take the first step toward smarter methane management.