The Influence of Loading Rate and Variable Temperatures on Microbial Communities in Anaerobic Digesters
The relationship between seasonal temperatures, organic loading rate (OLR) and the structure of archaeal communities in anaerobic digesters was investigated. Previous studies have often assessed archaeal community structure at fixed temperatures and constant OLRs, or at variable temperatures not ch...
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MDPI AG
2014-02-01
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| Series: | Energies |
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| Online Access: | http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/7/2/785 |
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| author | Richard J. Ciotola Jay F. Martin Abigail Tamkin Juan M. Castańo James Rosenblum Michael S. Bisesi Jiyoung Lee |
| author_facet | Richard J. Ciotola Jay F. Martin Abigail Tamkin Juan M. Castańo James Rosenblum Michael S. Bisesi Jiyoung Lee |
| author_sort | Richard J. Ciotola |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The relationship between seasonal temperatures, organic loading rate (OLR) and the structure of archaeal communities in anaerobic digesters was investigated. Previous studies have often assessed archaeal community structure at fixed temperatures and constant OLRs, or at variable temperatures not characteristic of temperate climates. The goal of this study was to determine the maximum OLR that would maintain a balanced microbial ecosystem during operation in a variable temperature range expected in a temperate climate (27–10 °C). Four-liter laboratory digesters were operated in a semi-continuous mode using dairy cow manure as the feedstock. At OLRs of 1.8 and 0.8 kg VS/m3·day the digesters soured (pH < 6.5) as a result of a decrease in temperature. The structure of the archaeal community in the sour digesters became increasingly similar to the manure feedstock with gains in the relative abundance of hydrogenotrophic methanogens. At an OLR of 0.3 kg VS/m3·day the digesters did not sour, but the archaeal community was primarily hydrogenotrophic methanogens. Recommendations for operating an ambient temperature digester year round in a temperate climate are to reduce the OLR to at least 0.3 kg VS/m3·day in colder temperatures to prevent a shift to the microbial community associated with the sour digesters. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T22:18:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-87b3c304668d4d659179db5f0cb5dec9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1073 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T22:18:23Z |
| publishDate | 2014-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Energies |
| spelling | doaj.art-87b3c304668d4d659179db5f0cb5dec92022-12-22T04:00:18ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732014-02-017278580310.3390/en7020785en7020785The Influence of Loading Rate and Variable Temperatures on Microbial Communities in Anaerobic DigestersRichard J. Ciotola0Jay F. Martin1Abigail Tamkin2Juan M. Castańo3James Rosenblum4Michael S. Bisesi5Jiyoung Lee6Department of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University, Agricultural Engineering Building, 590 Woody Hayes Dr., Columbus, OH 43210, USADepartment of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University, Agricultural Engineering Building, 590 Woody Hayes Dr., Columbus, OH 43210, USADepartment of Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering, The Ohio State University, Agricultural Engineering Building, 590 Woody Hayes Dr., Columbus, OH 43210, USAFacultad de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira (Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Technological University of Pereira), Apartado Aéreo 097, Pereira 660017, ColombiaDivision of Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Cunz Hall, 1841 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USADivision of Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Cunz Hall, 1841 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USADivision of Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Cunz Hall, 1841 Neil Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210, USAThe relationship between seasonal temperatures, organic loading rate (OLR) and the structure of archaeal communities in anaerobic digesters was investigated. Previous studies have often assessed archaeal community structure at fixed temperatures and constant OLRs, or at variable temperatures not characteristic of temperate climates. The goal of this study was to determine the maximum OLR that would maintain a balanced microbial ecosystem during operation in a variable temperature range expected in a temperate climate (27–10 °C). Four-liter laboratory digesters were operated in a semi-continuous mode using dairy cow manure as the feedstock. At OLRs of 1.8 and 0.8 kg VS/m3·day the digesters soured (pH < 6.5) as a result of a decrease in temperature. The structure of the archaeal community in the sour digesters became increasingly similar to the manure feedstock with gains in the relative abundance of hydrogenotrophic methanogens. At an OLR of 0.3 kg VS/m3·day the digesters did not sour, but the archaeal community was primarily hydrogenotrophic methanogens. Recommendations for operating an ambient temperature digester year round in a temperate climate are to reduce the OLR to at least 0.3 kg VS/m3·day in colder temperatures to prevent a shift to the microbial community associated with the sour digesters.http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/7/2/785anaerobic digestionarchaeal communitiestemperatureorganic loading rateterminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T-RFLP) |
| spellingShingle | Richard J. Ciotola Jay F. Martin Abigail Tamkin Juan M. Castańo James Rosenblum Michael S. Bisesi Jiyoung Lee The Influence of Loading Rate and Variable Temperatures on Microbial Communities in Anaerobic Digesters Energies anaerobic digestion archaeal communities temperature organic loading rate terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T-RFLP) |
| title | The Influence of Loading Rate and Variable Temperatures on Microbial Communities in Anaerobic Digesters |
| title_full | The Influence of Loading Rate and Variable Temperatures on Microbial Communities in Anaerobic Digesters |
| title_fullStr | The Influence of Loading Rate and Variable Temperatures on Microbial Communities in Anaerobic Digesters |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Influence of Loading Rate and Variable Temperatures on Microbial Communities in Anaerobic Digesters |
| title_short | The Influence of Loading Rate and Variable Temperatures on Microbial Communities in Anaerobic Digesters |
| title_sort | influence of loading rate and variable temperatures on microbial communities in anaerobic digesters |
| topic | anaerobic digestion archaeal communities temperature organic loading rate terminal restriction fragment length polymorphisms (T-RFLP) |
| url | http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/7/2/785 |
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