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Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Measuring Biomethane Potential of Food Scrap Waste Anaerobically Co-Digested with Waste-Activated Sludge Using Respirometry
Published on: April 26, 2024
A kinetic model for anaerobic digestion of biological sludge
S G Pavlostathis1, J M Gossett
1School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853.
Abstract:
The principal objective of this study was the development and evaluation of a comprehensive kinetic model capable of predicting digester performance when fed biological sludge, preliminary conversion mechanisms such as cell death, lysis, and hydrolysis responsible for rendering viable biological sludge organisms to available substrate were studied in depth. The results of this study indicate that hydrolysis of the dead, particulate biomass-primarily consisting of protein-is the slowest step, and therefore kinetically controls the overall process of anaerobic digestion of biological sludge. A kinetic model was developed which could accurately describe digester performance and predict effluent quality.
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