Stability and inhibition of anaerobic processes caused by insufficiency or excess of ammonia nitrogen

作者：Prochazka Jindrich^*; Dolejs Petr; Maca Josef; Dohanyos Michal

来源：Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 2012, 93(1): 439-447.

DOI：10.1007/s00253-011-3625-4

• Ammonia inhibition
• Anaerobic digestion
• Buffer capacity
• Process stability
• Volatile fatty acids

Ammonia increases buffer capacity of methanogenic medium in mesophilic anaerobic reactor thus increasing the stability of anaerobic digestion process. Optimal ammonia concentration ensures sufficient buffer capacity while not inhibiting the process. It was found out in this paper that this optimum depends on the quality of anaerobic sludge under investigation. The optimal concentrations for methanogens were 2.1, 2.6 and 3.1 g/L of ammonia nitrogen in dependence on inoculum origin. High ammonia nitrogen concentration (4.0 g/L) inhibited methane production, while low ammonia nitrogen concentration (0.5 g/L) caused low methane yield, loss of biomass (as VSS) and loss of the aceticlastic methanogenic activity. It was found out that negative effect of low ammonia nitrogen concentration on biomass is caused not only by low buffer capacity but also by insufficiency of nitrogen as nutrient. It was also found out that anaerobic sludge with higher ammonia nitrogen concentration (4.2 g/L) tolerates even concentration of volatile fatty acids (160 mmol/L) which causes inhibition of the process with low ammonia nitrogen concentration (0.2 g/L).

• 出版日期2012-1