earticle

영어

This study aimed to investigate the changes in methanogen profiles with respect to the performance of a conventional anaerobic sludge digester at different hydraulic retention times (HRTs). Mesophilic anaerobic digesters, fed with secondary sludge, were operated at HRTs ranging from 25 to 7 days. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency was 12.4-33.7% and the methane yield was 0.21-0.39 L CH4/g CODremoved. Although the maximal COD removal efficiency was observed at 25 days HRT, the maximal COD removal rate, methane production rate and methane yield were observed at 7 days HRT. The methanogen community structure was analyzed using group-specific real-time PCR assay. Hydrogenotrophic Methanomicrobiales was the most abundant (>90%) methanogen group at all trials. These results suggest that anaerobic sludge digestion can be operated at HRTs shorter than conventional ones (20–0 days) without altering the core methanogen community structure significantly.