What Agraferm does

Agraferm GmbH is a German engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) provider specializing in turnkey anaerobic digestion (AD) plants for biogas, biomethane, and organic waste treatment. Founded in 2004 and headquartered in Pfaffenhofen an der Ilm, Bavaria, the company operates alongside BTA International GmbH within the Agraferm Group, integrating the proprietary BTA® Process — a wet mechanical pretreatment technology first commissioned in 1991 and now deployed across 55+ installations worldwide with combined capacity of approximately 2.5 million tonnes/year. The underlying technology platform comprises high-load fermentation, paddle mixing systems, substrate preparation modules, and automated control systems, enabling maximum substrate flexibility across agricultural residues, energy crops, biowaste, municipal solid waste, and straw at individual plant capacities reaching 180,000 tonnes/year and electrical generation up to 15 MW.

The company's revenue model is anchored in project-based EPC delivery for agricultural operators, waste management firms and municipalities, and industrial/commercial waste producers, supplemented by recurring biological and technical services and modernization/refurbishment work on the existing installed base. Recurring revenue streams include the proprietary Metomex micronutrient additive and the Biologischer Service offering (process-biological care, laboratory analytics, and feeding-plan design) sold to both Agraferm-built and third-party plants. The go-to-market model is direct enterprise field sales with long project sales cycles, supported by trade fair participation (IFAT Munich), technical publications in Biogas Journal, a YouTube case-study channel, and a corporate newsletter — no reseller or distributor network is in use.

The Agraferm Group's installed footprint comprises 140+ plant locations across approximately 20 countries in Europe, North America, Asia, and Oceania, with combined annual input capacity of approximately 4 million tonnes and annual biogas production exceeding 200 million Nm³ (equivalent to 120+ million Nm³ of natural gas energy). Active 2025-2026 projects include the Mepal 2 extension (180,000 t), Glentham (47,000 t), and Gonerby Moor (85,000 t) in the UK. The company is privately held by its managing directors Eike Liekweg and Roland Pellegrini with no disclosed venture capital or institutional investor backing, and no public financial data is available.

Name

Agraferm

Legal name

Agraferm GmbH

Website

https://agraferm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Agraferm GmbH is a German EPC provider of turnkey biogas, biomethane, and organic waste treatment plants, leveraging the proprietary BTA® Process (wet mechanical pretreatment) to serve agricultural operators, municipalities, and industrial waste producers across ~20 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biogas and Biomethane Plant Engineering & Construction

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Biogas/RNG Plant Development, EPC & Project Delivery (EUAAAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biogas/RNG Plant Operations, Maintenance & Asset Management (EUAAAEAI), Anaerobic Digestion (AD) & Biogas/RNG Production (Organics Feedstocks) (BPALAEAC)

Keywords

• Biogas plant construction
• Anaerobic digestion systems
• Biomethane production plants
• Waste treatment facilities
• Renewable energy engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Pfaffenhofen An Der Ilm

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Biogas Plant Design, Construction & Commissioning: EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) services for turnkey biogas, biomethane, and waste treatment plants. Includes planning, plant construction, and commissioning. Revenue is project-based with long sales cycles for custom industrial installations.
2. Technical & Biological Services: Ongoing process-biological support, laboratory analytics, micronutrient products (Metomex), and operational management services for biogas plants, including both Agraferm and third-party facilities.
3. Refurbishment & Expansion: Modernization and capacity expansion services for existing biogas facilities, including upgrades to increase throughput and efficiency.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Agraferm plans, designs, constructs, and commissions turnkey biogas, biomethane, and organic waste treatment plants based on its proprietary BTA® wet mechanical pretreatment process. Plants are custom-engineered with maximum substrate flexibility, supporting capacities up to 180,000 tonnes/year per facility and up to 15 MW of electrical output. Beyond plant construction, Agraferm delivers ongoing technical and biological services, refurbishment/expansion projects, and sells its proprietary Metomex micronutrient additive for biogas operations.

Product overview

Agraferm is a provider of turnkey anaerobic digestion (AD) plants for biogas, biomethane, and organic waste treatment. The company operates both as Agraferm GmbH and BTA International, offering complete plant solutions with maximum substrate flexibility. Their product portfolio centers on three core offerings: biogas plants, biomethane plants, and waste treatment plants. The BTA® Process serves as their underlying technology platform—a wet mechanical pretreatment system—with the BTA® Compact Series as a modular variant. Supporting the hardware, they offer technology modules including High-Load Fermentation, Paddle Mixer, Substrate Preparation, and Control Technology. Their biological service offerings include process optimization support and the Metomex micronutrient additive product. With over 100 references in approximately 20 countries since 2014, Agraferm and BTA have installed plants with treatment capacities exceeding 2 million tonnes per year, producing over 200 million Nm³ of biogas annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BTA® Process: Proprietary wet mechanical pretreatment process for biogas production from organic waste materials. First commissioned in 1991.
• Metomex

Products and services

• Biogas Plants (Biogasanlagen)
• Biomethane Plants (Biomethananlagen)

Quantifiable outcome

• 200+ million Nm³ biogas produced annually in BTA plants, equivalent to 120+ million Nm³ natural gas
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BTA International GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBTA International GmbH is part of the Agraferm Group and shares the same headquarters in Pfaffenhofen. Together they form one of the few providers of turnkey agricultural and waste treatment AD plants worldwide. BTA International specializes in the BTA® Process wet mechanical pretreatment technology.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Anaergia: Canada-based global provider of anaerobic digestion, biogas upgrading, and resource recovery solutions. Comparable on AD plant delivery and RNG/biomethane upgrading, with stronger North American execution footprint than Agraferm.
• Weltec Biopower: German-headquartered turnkey anaerobic digestion plant builder for agricultural and waste substrates. Directly comparable to Agraferm on EPC business model, substrate flexibility, and EU project footprint.
• PlanET Biogas: German provider of turnkey biogas and biomethane AD plants serving agricultural, industrial, and waste clients. Closely overlaps with Agraferm on technology, customer segments, and EPC delivery model.
• Krieg & Fischer Ingenieure: German engineering firm specialized in planning and construction of biogas plants. Directly comparable in EPC consulting and turnkey AD plant delivery, particularly for mid-sized German agricultural operators.
• Xergi (part of Nature Energy): Danish AD/biogas plant EPC specialist with strong agricultural and biomethane credentials, now part of Nature Energy. Directly comparable to Agraferm on substrate flexibility, AD technology, and EU project delivery.
• EnviTec Biogas AG: Publicly listed German AD/biogas plant builder and operator with EPC, services, and plant operation. Highly comparable in core AD EPC offering, with broader scope including plant operation that Agraferm/BTA also touch via service.

Broad incumbents

• Hitachi Zosen Inova: Large EPC incumbent in waste-to-energy and biogas upgrading (Kompogas® AD technology). Comparable on biogas plant delivery and biomethane upgrading, but at significantly larger scale and broader industrial scope than Agraferm.
• Valmet: Global process technologies and services company with a dedicated Biomass and Energy business for bioenergy plant deliveries. Overlaps with Agraferm on AD/biogas plant EPC and services, but as a broader industrial diversified incumbent.

Emerging players

• DMT Environmental Technology: Netherlands-based engineering firm active in biogas upgrading and AD plant support technology. Comparable to Agraferm/BTA on biogas plant technology components and RNG upgrading integration.

Regional players

• STRABAG Umwelttechnik / AD plant contractors: Austrian/Central European EPC firm active in waste treatment and biogas AD plant construction. Comparable on turnkey AD plant delivery in Austrian/Slovak/Czech markets overlapping with Agraferm/BTA regional footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@agraferm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agraferm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Agraferm