Chain elongating, mesophilic community - Raw sequence reads
Communities fermenting mixtures of acetic acid and ethanol, in the pressence of different gas mixtures (N2, N2:CO2, and N2:H2) at mesophilic conditions (37 C) and a pH of 6.8. The fermentations also exhibited competing reactions such as acetogenesis and sulfate reduction. The inocula were previous vials operating at the same conditions. The original inoculum was sludge obtained from Lyngby-Taarbaek Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was heat-preteated to remove methanogens.Chain elongation implies the use of ethanol to elongate short-chain fatty acids such as acetic acid into longer fatty acids such as butyric, caproic, or caprylic acid. However ethanol can be also used in competing pathways, reducing the yield of longer-chain fatty acids. The goal of the study was to evaluate the impact the presence of H2 and CO2 would have on competing reactions to reverse beta chain elongation.