Volatile fatty acids distribution during acidogenesis of algal residues with pH control

The anaerobic acidification of protein-rich algal residues with pH control (4, 6, 8, 10) was studied in batch reactors, which was operated at mesophilic(35 °C) condition. The distribution of major volatile fatty acids (VFAs) during acidogenesis was emphasized in this paper. The results showed that the acidification efficiency and VFAs distribution in the acid reactor strongly depended on the pH. The main product for all the runs involved acetic acid except that the proportion of butyric acid acidified at pH 6 was relatively higher. The other organic acids remained at lower levels. The VFAs yield reached the maximum value with about 0.6 g VFAs/g volatile solid (VS) added as pH was 8, and also the content of total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) reached the highest values of 9,629 mg/l. Low acidification degrees were obtained under the conditions at pH 4 and 10, which was not suitable for the metabolism of acidogens. Hydralic retention time (HRT) required for different conditions varied. As a consequence, it was indicated that pH was crucial to the acidification efficiency and products distribution. The investigation of acidogenesis process, which was producing the major substrates, short-chain fatty acids, would play the primary role in the efficient operation of methanogenesis.