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The effect of volatile fatty acid additions on the anaerobic digestion of cellulose and glucose in batch reactors

The effect of volatile fatty acid additions on the anaerobic digestion of cellulose and glucose in batch reactors
The effect of volatile fatty acid additions on the anaerobic digestion of cellulose and glucose in batch reactors
Batch anaerobic reactor experiments were set up in which the degradation of the primary substrates cellulose and glucose was assayed when dosed with a concentration range from 1 to 20 g l?1 of a synthetic mixture of volatile fatty acids (VFA). Biogas production from the VFA mix and from reactors without VFA additions was used as a baseline control against which the results were compared and interpreted. The 1-l mesophilic (35 °C) reactors were seeded with an actively digesting sludge of sewage origin and monitored for biogas production, gas composition, volatile fatty acid concentration, glucose content and the cellulolytic enzymes carboxymethylcellulase and avicelase. Cellulose reduction was measured from initial and final samples of the reaction mix in each case. VFA caused inhibition of the cellulolytic activity at concentrations ?2 g l?1, and therefore of the rate of cellulose hydrolysis. The fermentation of glucose was slightly inhibited at VFA concentrations above 4 g l?1. The inhibitory effect on the production of biogas and also on the methane to carbon dioxide ratio was evident above 6 g l?1 VFA in the initial mixture when used as the sole substrate. In combination with paper as primary substrate, biogas production due to the paper was more than halved above 1 g l?1 initial VFA, indicating inhibition of the hydrolysis process. Where glucose was the primary substrate biogas production was more than halved above 8 g l?1 which indicated that the fermentation was less sensitive to inhibition caused by VFA.
anaerobic digestion, cellulose, glucose, enzyme, VFA, inhibition
1359-5113
3412-3418
Siegert, Irene
a35022a4-5ab7-4626-ab61-515a5714d5cf
Banks, Charles
5c6c8c4b-5b25-4e37-9058-50fa8d2e926f
Siegert, Irene
a35022a4-5ab7-4626-ab61-515a5714d5cf
Banks, Charles
5c6c8c4b-5b25-4e37-9058-50fa8d2e926f

Siegert, Irene and Banks, Charles (2005) The effect of volatile fatty acid additions on the anaerobic digestion of cellulose and glucose in batch reactors. Process Biochemistry, 40 (11), 3412-3418. (doi:10.1016/j.procbio.2005.01.025).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Batch anaerobic reactor experiments were set up in which the degradation of the primary substrates cellulose and glucose was assayed when dosed with a concentration range from 1 to 20 g l?1 of a synthetic mixture of volatile fatty acids (VFA). Biogas production from the VFA mix and from reactors without VFA additions was used as a baseline control against which the results were compared and interpreted. The 1-l mesophilic (35 °C) reactors were seeded with an actively digesting sludge of sewage origin and monitored for biogas production, gas composition, volatile fatty acid concentration, glucose content and the cellulolytic enzymes carboxymethylcellulase and avicelase. Cellulose reduction was measured from initial and final samples of the reaction mix in each case. VFA caused inhibition of the cellulolytic activity at concentrations ?2 g l?1, and therefore of the rate of cellulose hydrolysis. The fermentation of glucose was slightly inhibited at VFA concentrations above 4 g l?1. The inhibitory effect on the production of biogas and also on the methane to carbon dioxide ratio was evident above 6 g l?1 VFA in the initial mixture when used as the sole substrate. In combination with paper as primary substrate, biogas production due to the paper was more than halved above 1 g l?1 initial VFA, indicating inhibition of the hydrolysis process. Where glucose was the primary substrate biogas production was more than halved above 8 g l?1 which indicated that the fermentation was less sensitive to inhibition caused by VFA.

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More information

Published date: 2005
Keywords: anaerobic digestion, cellulose, glucose, enzyme, VFA, inhibition

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 39443
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/39443
ISSN: 1359-5113
PURE UUID: f7dd2ba5-ffef-489a-83de-10b8a0443a16
ORCID for Charles Banks: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-6795-814X

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 28 Jun 2006
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 02:52

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Contributors

Author: Irene Siegert
Author: Charles Banks ORCID iD

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