Methane yield as a monitoring parameter for the start-up of anaerobic fixed film reactors

• Published in: Water research (Oxford) Vol. 36; no. 5; pp. 1385 - 1391
• Main Authors: Michaud, Sébastien, Bernet, Nicolas, Buffière, Pierre, Roustan, Michel, Moletta, René
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2002; Elsevier Science; IWA Publishing/Elsevier
• Subjects: Anaerobic Digestion; Applied sciences; Bacteria, Anaerobic; Biofilm; Biofilms; Biological and medical sciences; Biological treatment of waters; Bioreactors; Biotechnology; Earth Sciences; Environment and pollution; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General purification processes; Hydrology; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Methane - analysis; Methane yield; Organic Chemicals - metabolism; Pollution; Sciences of the Universe; Sewage - microbiology; Start-up; Waste Disposal, Fluid; Wastewaters; Water treatment and pollution; Start-up; Biofilm; Methane yield; Anaerobic digestion; Methane; Bioreactor; Starting; Fixed bed reactor; Biogas; Yield; Waste water purification; Experimental study; Monitoring control system; Biological purification; BIOTECHNOLOGIE; TRAITEMENT DES EAUX USEES
• ISSN: 0043-1354; 1879-2448
• DOI: 10.1016/S0043-1354(01)00338-4

This paper describes the variation of the methane yield during the start-up period of an anaerobic fluidized bed reactor. After a lag phase, with acclimatized sludge, the methane yield increased with time during biofilm development up to the theoretical steady yield value, reported to be around 0.35l CH4/g CODdeg. The establishment of the biofilm required a high consumption of organic material through the microbial synthesis (anabolism), thereby reducing the proportion of substrate converted to methane. As a result, this yield could be an indirect metabolic parameter for evaluating a start-up operation. It could provide vital information about bacterial fixation processes and is easy to be applied to any biofilm reactor, such as anaerobic filters, where biomass sampling is impracticable. Monitoring this parameter could also give useful dynamic information about the different steps of colonization and biomass attachment, which could be used to improve the start-up performance.