Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026

Continuously-stirred Anaerobic Digester to Convert Organic Wastes into Biogas: System Setup and Basic Operation
Published on: July 13, 2012
Long-term anaerobic digestion of food waste stabilized by trace elements
1Key Laboratory of Industrial Ecology and Environmental Engineering, School of Environmental Science and Technology, Dalian University of Technology, Linggong Road 2, Dalian 116024, PR China. wxzyfx@yahoo.com
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to examine if long-term anaerobic digestion of food waste in a semi-continuous single-stage reactor could be stabilized by supplementing trace elements. Contrary to the failure of anaerobic digestion of food waste alone, stable anaerobic digestion of food waste was achieved for 368 days by supplementing trace elements. Under the conditions of OLR (organic loading rates) of 2.19-6.64 g VS (volatile solid)/L day and 20-30 days of HRT (hydraulic retention time), a high methane yield (352-450 mL CH(4)/g VS(added)) was obtained, and no significant accumulation of volatile fatty acids was observed. The subsequent investigation on effects of individual trace elements (Co, Fe, Mo and Ni) showed that iron was essential for maintaining stable methane production. These results proved that the food waste used in this study was deficient in trace elements.
Related Concept Videos
Production of Organic Acids
Microbes and Methanogenesis
Environmental Applications of Microorganisms
Microbial Leaching
Microbes and Other Elemental Cycles
Metabolism of Chemolithotrophs

