| Summary: | Although anaerobic digestion (AD) is a common sludge stabilization method,
many digesters still suffer from suboptimal performance due to poor process
stability, long retention time, and susceptibility to changes in process parameters.
In this study, I explored the influence of important AD parameters namely
substrate characteristics, solids retention time, and temperature on laboratory-scale
digesters process performance and microbial community dynamics. Laboratoryscale
anaerobic reactors fed with mixed primary and secondary sludge were used
to answer the hypothesis that AD could be optimized through minimal
manipulation of these parameters. Our results showed significant improvement in
biogas production when substrate characteristics and solids retention times were
modified. Moreover, methanogenic community was also enhanced through
minimal manipulation of operating temperature.
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