Method for evaluating anaerobic digester performance.
The degradation rate and efficiency of digestion processes is typically measured by introducing a substrate or pollutant into a digester and then monitoring the effluents for the pollutant or substrate, a costly and slow process. A new method for rapid measurement of the rates and efficiencies of anaerobic degradation of pollutants and lignocellulose substrates from various pretreatments is described. The method uses micro-reactors (10-30mL) containing a mixed culture of anaerobic bacteria obtained from a working anaerobic digester. The rate of degradation of pollutants and metabolic heat rate are measured in parallel sets of micro-reactors. Measurement of metabolic rate and pollutant degradation simultaneously is an effective means of rapidly examining pollutant degradation on a micro-scale. Calorimetric measurements alone allow rapid, relative evaluation of various substrate pretreatment methods.
Cline
Taylor
T
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602-5700, USA.
Thomas
Nathan
N
Shumway
Logan
L
Yeung
Irene
I
Hansen
Conly L
CL
Hansen
Lee D
LD
Hansen
Jaron C
JC
D001421:Bacteria, Anaerobic / Q000502:physiology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology*; D002151:Calorimetry / Q000379:methods*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis / Q000379:methods
D001426:Bacterial Proteins