Silver for SubstratScan: DLG honors Biotaktix at the Innovation Award. The system from Kalletal analyzes slurry and digestate by NIR directly in the substrate flow and transfers the readings automatically to the plant software.
Kalletal, Germany, September 25, 2026 – Biotaktix GmbH from Kalletal, Germany, has been awarded a silver medal at the Innovation Award EnergyDecentral 2026. The Novelty Commission appointed by the DLG (German Agricultural Society) is recognizing SubstratScan — a system that analyzes slurry and digestate by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR) directly in the substrate flow of a biogas plant and automatically transfers the readings to the Biotaktix software. SubstratScan will be shown to the public for the first time at EnergyDecentral, which takes place alongside EuroTier in Hanover from 10 to 13 November 2026.
Lab results often arrive too late
Until now, plant operators who want to know what their slurry or digestate contains have had to take a sample, send it to a laboratory and wait for the result. By then, the substrate is often already in the digester or out on the field. Because every sample costs time and money, measurements are rare. Instead, operators frequently work with standard table values that do not exactly reflect the reality at the plant.
Measurement during operation
SubstratScan works directly on the line: the sensor is installed as a pipe section in existing lines through which slurry or digestate flows anyway, so it can also be retrofitted to existing plants. Measurement runs continuously during operation and delivers results in seconds — with no sampling, no chemicals and no consumables. The NIR technology has already proven itself in practice on slurry tankers. SubstratScan measures:
- Dry matter (DM, in % by weight)
- Total nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen (NH₄-N, in kg/m³)
- Phosphate (P₂O₅, in kg/m³)
- Potassium oxide (K₂O, in kg/m³)
In the Biotaktix software, the readings are automatically linked to the weighbridge tickets and are available for digestate management, feeding and records. This allows operators to see, for every supplier and every batch, the quality that actually arrives, to detect excess water and to deliver digestate based on its nutrient content.
Jury: processes substantially simplified
The DLG presents the Innovation Award EnergyDecentral for innovative products in the field of decentralized energy generation. For the 2026 competition, 20 innovations were submitted and 17 of them admitted. The independent expert commission awarded two gold and six silver medals. In its statement on SubstratScan, the DLG Novelty Commission writes:
“For the first time, the SubstratScan from Biotaktix combines the established processes of nutrient analysis with NIR sensors, weighing data and an ERP software solution in a single complete system, thereby substantially simplifying the processes in a biogas plant.”
“As a full ERP solution, Biotaktix covers the core processes of a biogas plant — from the weighbridge ticket and proofs of sustainability through to billing. With SubstratScan, we are now adding live data straight from the substrate flow: dry matter and nutrients are available immediately and linked to every single delivery, instead of showing up in a lab report days later. Our whole team is delighted that the DLG Novelty Commission has recognized exactly this combination with a silver medal.”
On show at the trade fair for the first time
The silver medal will be presented on the first day of the fair, 10 November 2026. Biotaktix is showcasing SubstratScan at EnergyDecentral / EuroTier 2026 in Hanover, in Hall 25, Stand D13. Interested operators can already arrange a presentation or a meeting at the fair in advance.
Further links
About Biotaktix
Biotaktix GmbH, based in Kalletal, Germany, develops software for operators of biogas and biomethane plants. At its core is the digital weighbridge ticket: a connector gateway links up existing weighbridges, and deliveries are recorded via app. Built on this are functions for proofs of sustainability under RED III, a feedstock log, inventory management, manure reporting, maintenance and billing. With SubstratScan, Biotaktix extends the platform with NIR analysis of slurry and digestate. The software is in use at plants in Germany and Italy — from farm-based operations to groups with multiple sites.