title: Modeling the dynamic volatile fatty acids profiles with pH and hydraulic retention time in an anaerobic baffled reactor during the startup period.
abstract: To predict the dynamic profiles in volatile fatty acids (VFAs) with pH and hydraulic retention time (HRT) during the startup of a 4-compartment ABR, a mathematical model was constructed by introducing pH and thermodynamic inhibition functions into the biochemical processes derived from the ADM1. The calibration of inhibition parameter for propionate uptake effectively improved the prediction accuracy of VFAs. The developed model could simulate the VFAs profiles very well no matter the observable change of pH or/and HRT. The simulation results indicated that both H2-producing acetogenesis and methanogenesis in the ABR would be inhibited with a pH less than 4.61, and the propionate oxidation could be thermodynamically restricted even with a neutral pH. A decreased HRT would enhanced the acidogenesis and H2-producing acetogenesis in the first 3 compartments, but no observable increase in effluent VFAs could be found due to the synchronously enhanced methanogenesis in the last compartment.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Harbin 150090, China.
authors.forename: En
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Harbin 150090, China. Electronic address: jianzhengli@hit.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jianzheng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Shao-Yuan
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Leu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Municipal and Environmental Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, 73 Huanghe Road, Harbin 150090, China.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Antwi
mesh_terms: D000693:Anaerobiosis; D019149:Bioreactors / Q000382:microbiology*; D002138:Calibration; D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile / Q000378:metabolism*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007700:Kinetics; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile
keywords: Anaerobic baffled reactors (ABRs); Hydraulic retention time (HRT); Mathematical model; Volatile fatty acids (VFAs); pH