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Bactericidal effect of long chain fatty acids in anaerobic digestion

Authors :
K. van Knippenberg
M. Boone
A. Rinzema
Gatze Lettinga
Source :
Water Environment Research 66 (1994), Water Environment Research, 66, 40-49
Publication Year :
1994

Abstract

The effect of shock loads of long chain fatty acids (LCFA) on the activity of granular methanogenic sludge was studied with capric acid as model substrate. The results show that inhibition is primarily related to the LCF concentration; the LCFA:biomass ratio is less important. A lethal threshold LCFA concentration can be distinguished in reactors with identical physical and chemical conditions and inoculum properties: the acetogenic and methanogenic population is killed virtually completely when the concentration exceeds 6.7 to 9.0 mol/m 3 capric acid. The observed variation in the threshold level may be attributable to differences in mass transfer rate from liquid to granules in different experiments. At most, 0.2% of the acetotrophic methanogens survives, when the LCFA concentration in a methanogenic digester exceeds the lethal threshold level

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
10614303
Volume :
66
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Water Environment Research
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....a9044090d84a01571060478b902b772c
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.2175/wer.66.1.7